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Who's Who Among 



The Farm Advisers 



y^F YOU sec a tall sandy-haired fel- 



(Jl low hurrying down a Marion 

 V^_y county, 111. road in a cloud of 

 dust, more than likely you'll find its the 

 farm adviser, Fred J. Blackburn who this 

 year will celebrate 21 years of service to 

 the fruit, red top, livestock, corn, and 

 wheat growers of this diversified agricul- 

 tural county. 



Fred Blackburn left his Montgomery 

 county farm in October 191 8 to become 

 the first farm adviser ia^arion county. 

 . Fred must have some of'the well-known 

 proclivities of a postajeplfstamp for he 

 sticks to his job and ^» there without 

 any fuss or feathers. 



Marion county is one of the leading 

 peach, pear, and apple growing counties 

 in Illinois. It also has a great deal of 

 poor gray silt soil underlaid with tight 

 clay. It is the home of famous Poorland 

 Farm where more than 25 years ago. Dr. 

 Cyril G. Hopkins of the College of Agri- 

 culture started to demonstrate the pos- 

 sibilities in making an impoverished f^rm 

 pay with limestone, rock phosphate, and 

 legumes. 



When Blackburn came to Marion coun- 

 ty, therefore, his work was largely cut 

 out for him. Helping farmers improve 

 their soils and crops, orchard manage- 

 ment, pruning and spraying and such 

 problems have occupied much of his time. 

 Blackburn follows closely the soil and 

 crop experiments on Poorland farm and 

 other experimental plots. This informa- 

 tion, brought to the attention of the 

 farmers of the county, has had a wide in- 

 fluence in irtiproving the agriculture of 

 the county. More recently, experiments 

 have shown the value of potash in in- 

 creasing crop yields on certain soil types 

 in this area. 



Four-H club work and young people's 

 activities also have a prominent place in 

 the program of the Marion County Farm 

 Bureau. Last year the county had 300 

 club members. Miss Marion Garner, 

 Farm Bureau oflfice secretary doubles as 

 girls' club leader. 



Marion county is approximately 24 

 miles square with 16 townships of uni- 

 form size. Around 25 per cent of its 

 farms produce more or less fruit com- 

 mercially ; 50 per cent grow red top seed 

 which still bulks large as a cash crop. 

 The average wheat yield for the county is 

 about 13 bu. an acre or less and com aver- 

 ages about 20 bu. These yields have 

 been more than doubled on poor soils by 

 using limestone, phosphate, sweet clover 

 and other legumes. Striking as have been 

 the gains and increases in yield and 



FRED I. BLACKBURN 

 50 Bushel com on one* $1S an acre land. 



profits from limestone, a majority of the 

 land in the county is still unlimed and 

 acid. Dairying is popular in the north- 

 west part of the county. Milk is shipped 

 to St. Louis. The Producers get about 

 25% of the county's 600 carloads of live- 

 stock marketed annually. 



After getting his degree from the State 

 College of Agriculture in 1914, Black- 

 burn became a fieldman in farm manage- 

 ment-cost accounting work in Franklin 

 county. He had charge of a home eco- 

 nomics demonstration car that traveled 

 the state in 1915-1916 demonstrating 

 water systems, home electric lighting 

 plants, washing machines and other labor- 

 saving devices for farm homes. 



The Blackbums have four daughters 

 and reside in Salem, the county seat 

 where the Farm Bureau oflFice is located 

 in the county building. 



A bill making compulsory periodic 



cleaning of trucks used in transporting 

 livestock is being sponsored in the 

 state legislature by the California Farm 

 Bureau Federation. Aim: To prevent 

 spread of noxious weeds. 



"A Farm Adviser was telling one of his 

 members the advantages of rural electricity," 

 writes Farm Adviser Chas. Tarble of Cum- 

 berland county. " 'Besides being able to have 

 an electric refrigerator and a toaster you 

 can also have one of these 't>ed warmers 

 that will keep your feet warm during the 

 long winter nights,' said the adviser. A 

 neighbor standing by listening to the con- 

 versation spoke up and said : 'Why, Lum, 

 they are cheaper than a woman.' " 



Farmers IVeed 

 Organizations 



//T wish to remind you that we are 

 I living under a constitutional gov- 

 emment, and your President and 

 your Secretary of Agriculture have only 

 limited power. Things that ore of ritcd 

 concern to you as fanners come into 

 being only if you yoursalras make your 

 wishes clear beyond any shadow of 

 doubt. 



"There has always been a need for 

 strong and independent farm organiza- 

 tions, and that need exists more than 

 ever today. The individual former, 

 acting alone, can get nowhere, but 

 when he unites with his fellow iarmen, 

 his voice rings out from coast to coast 

 and leaves no doubts as to where he 

 stands." 



Henry A. Wallace, Secretary of 

 Agriculture, to fanners at Macon, 

 Georgia, Nov. 17, 1938. 



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I Believe in It" 



1 SUPPORT co-operative livestock 

 marketing because I am a firm be- 

 liever in our farm organization in all 

 its branches from our County Farm 

 Bureau to the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation and from which cooperative 

 livestock marketing is an outgrowth. 



I believe livestock sold through these 

 channels sells on its merits at the full 

 strength of the market and that farm- 

 ers so backing up their organization 

 are helping to establish themselves in 

 their rightful place. 



I believe cooperative marketing has 

 improved selling conditions on the ter- 

 minal markets. Farmers get better ser- 

 vice, pay a reduced commission and 

 get valuable information on prices and 

 trend of future markets. If we farm- 

 ers ever have anything to say relative 

 to the establishment of livestock prices 

 on a "cost plus a reasonable profit 

 basis" along with other lines of busi- 

 ness it will be when a large per cent 

 of the total volume of livestock sold 

 on competitive markets go through co- 

 operative channels. 



These are days of strong competi- 

 tion. The farmer needs to realize just 

 what really could be accomplished if 

 we would cooperate and act together, 

 to feel that our cooperative marketing 

 organization is just as strong as we 

 make it. The selling agency, I be- 

 lieve, needs more of the "Filling Sta- 

 tion Attendant" attitude. Prompt, care- 

 ful service, friendly courteous treat- 

 ment with a touch of personal interest 

 in each customer which makes him 

 feel at home. The salesman in the 

 yards today has a hard place to fill. 

 He must assume the attitude of a cold 

 livestock salesman and also that of a 

 member of a reception committee at 

 an annual meeting. 



J. Wes. Smith, Chairman, 



Pike Co. Livestock Mktg. Comm. 



MARCH, 1939 



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