/Z^tJ YOUTH 



Rural Youth delegates from 54 counties 

 in Illinois took part in deliberations at the 

 lAA Convention, January 30, 31, and Febru- 

 ary 1. Developing more challenging county 

 programs was discussed by 250 youth and 

 interested adults at the Rural Youth Con- 

 ference, Monday afternoon, Jan. 30. Educa- 

 tional tours, recreation, music, dramatics, 

 and discussions were reported major proj- 

 ects in most counties. The group felt there 

 was a need for more county programs which 

 had a better balance between study and 

 discussion and recreation. 



President Earl C. Smith of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association stated that we are 

 most interested in the answer to this ques- 

 tion: "How Can The lAA and the Farm 

 Bureau Be of Greater Service to the Young 

 People of Illinois?" Merle Hall, LaSalle 

 County, introduced Mr. Smith and lead the 

 group discussion following his talk. 



Views on "How We Can Develop More 

 Challenging Programs," were expressed in 

 a panel discussion by Loy Freeland, Fayette, 

 Dale Maxwell, DeWitt, Charlotte Mosher, 

 DeKalb, John Schuett, McHenry, Kathryn 

 Maes, Jackson, E. C. Secor, Randolph, 

 Catherine Sullivan, Knox, Merle Hall, La 

 Salle, Frank Gingrich, Chairman. 



Youth enteruiners from Kane, Edwards, 

 Carroll, DeKalb, McHenry, and Edgar Coun- 

 ties put on a varied program of music and 

 entertainment at the Talent Night program, 

 Monday evening. In a short talk "Youth 

 Speaks" Harvey Schweitzer of DeKalb said 

 "Any youth organization, no matter what 

 its purposes are, should realize that it is 

 molding the lives of tomorrows" citizens. 

 A youth organization may be termed a suc- 

 cess if it can help youth adjust themselves 

 to fit into society, give them high ideals, 

 at which to aim and help them to prepare 

 for tomorrow's work." Attendance was 

 estimated at 1500. 



The new lAA sound picture "Shoulder 

 to Shoulder" which tells in picture and 

 sound the story of the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association and associated organizations was 

 enthusiastically received. Many counties have 

 already scheduled the picture to be shown 

 in local communities. 



Toastmaster, Dale Maxwell, DeWitt Coun- 

 ty, kept the program moving at a fast pace; 

 "Duke" Regnier woke up the group with 

 a few new fangled songs, and Greetings 

 from the University of Illinois were brought 

 by G. S. "Chick" Randall, Specialist in 

 Rural Youth Extension. 



Otto Steffey, Albert Hayes, Chester Mc- 

 Cord, W. A. Dennis, and A. O. Eckert, lAA 

 Board members, Mrs. John Clifton, Presi- 

 dent, Illinois Home Bureau Federation, and 

 B. A. Tomlin, Assistant State Supervisor 

 Vocational Agriculture were among the 

 guests present. 



Next year's Rural Youth Committee to 

 plan for youth's part in the lAA Conven- 

 tion were selected by delegates present at 

 a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 

 31st. Five members and five alternates were 

 named : Northern District — John Schuett, 

 McHenry County. Raymond Hanley, Grundy 

 County, Alternate. Central District — Mil- 

 ton Bell, Champaign County. Dale Max- 

 well, DeWitt County, Alternate. Southern 

 District — Howard Coldasure, Clay County. 

 Louis Sfagler, Clinton County, Alternate. 

 At Large — Catherine Sullivan, Knox Coun- 

 ty. Charlotte Mosher, DeKalb County, Al- 

 ternate. — Edna Wade, DeWitt County. 

 Opal Stine, Effingham County, Alternate. 



TWO YEARS IN A HOW 

 Last lanuary II Piatt County Organization Director L. D. Hendricka turned in th« 

 county's 1938 quota oi new Farm Bureau members. The periormance was repeated in 

 1939. Hendricks was unable to attend the lAA annual meeting due to illness but hia 

 helpers came and were congratulated by lAA President Earl C. Smith. Standing, left 

 to right: Alva Royce, lohn W. Schable. President Smith, George Stoerger, M. E. Horton. 

 G. B. Briggs. Seated: S. C. Shively, Clarence Lefever. E. O. Joknaton. fans adviaer. Park 

 Blacker, and Milton W. Warren, Farm Bureau president. 



Livestock and Grain Marlieting 



Conferences Have Lively Debate 



Chicago, Jan, 1 : — Livestock producers in 

 conference here today, charged that local 

 auctions are tearing down their centralized 

 marketing system and are spreading live- 

 stock disease. Farmers agreed that auctions 

 are confined mostly to selling inferior live- 

 stock and feeding cattle and are considered 

 by most producers as a place for disposing 

 of surplus low-grade animals. Speakers em- 

 phasized the weakening of the farmers bar- 

 gaining position as a result of direct ship- 

 ping to packers. 



Carl O. Johnson, DeKalb county cattle 

 feeder, led the discussion. M. Ray Ihrig, 

 Adams county, was chairman. 



In spite of a trend toward direct market- 



ing of grain, Illinois growers believe there 

 is a place for local elevators as a service 

 center for farmers and a convenience for 

 millers in contacting grain supplies, it was 

 revealed at the grain marketing conference 

 during the lAA convention. 



With the growth of trucking provided 

 by improved roads, there is a tendency to- 

 ward larger and better elevators at fewer 

 points handling grain for increasing num- 

 bers of farmers. The grain men, interested 

 in maintaining an orderly market, suggested 

 that railroads lower short haul rates to cope 

 with the growth of direct marketing by 

 truck. 



Field Bindweed Seen 



As Major Farm Enemy 



Chicago, Jan. 31: — Illinois farmers are 

 facing invasion by a new weed enemy, field 

 bindweed or "Creeping Jenny," 250 farmers 

 learned today in a soil improvement con- 

 ference at the lAA annual meeting. 



J. C. Hackleman, University of Illinois, 

 appraised "Jenny" as being more difficult 

 to kill than Canada thistle and estimated 

 that more than 100,000 acres are infested 

 with this weed in the state. H. K. Danforth, 

 Henry county farm adviser, reported that 

 William Dines, Henry county farmer, was 

 able to control bindweed this summer by 

 weekly cultivation with a duckfoot cultivator 

 from May to September. 



Dr. F. C. Bauer, University of Illinois, 

 stressed the need for less plowing, for re- 

 placement of mineral elements and for grow- 

 ing more legumes in maintaining soil fer- 



tility. Farm Adviser I. F. Green of Bond 

 county pointed out that pasture is a crop 

 and must be seeded, fertilized and harvested 

 if it is to produce enough forage to pay 

 its way. 



E. E. Houghtby, DeKalb county, was 

 chairman of the conference. 



The annual meeting uf Mercer Service 



Company was held at Aledo, January 7. 

 Reports showed an 18% increase in sales 

 and 65% gain in net income. Patronage 

 dividends totaled 512,200.00, a new high. 

 Five hundred fourteen checks, averaging 

 $23.68 per Farm Bureau member customer 

 were passed out. 



Seven hundred Farm Bureau people were 

 present and voiced their approval of the 

 splendid gains made by the company the 

 past year by reelecting the board of directors. 

 J. G. Dorward of Illinois Farm Supply 

 Company spoke. 



FEBRUARY. 1939 



