RELATION TO COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES 103 



best by supporting the county agent and applying its 

 energies to the working out of the county program. 



FARM BUREAU OBJECTIVES 



In order that we may better understand the true rela- 

 tion of the problems of cooperative organization for buy- 

 ing and selling to the whole problem of agriculture and 

 thus be better able to measure the activities of county 

 agents in this field against their activities in the field of 

 production, it may be desirable to define the larger objec- 

 tives of farm bureaus and county agents. This ought to 

 help us in determining what should be their relationship 

 to commercial activities. 



All county agents' objectives are educational. In gen- 

 eral the same is true of farm bureaus, although to a less 

 extent and probably with more exceptions. Briefly, the 

 two principal objectives of both county agents and farm 

 bureaus are, (1) to make farming more profitable and 

 (2) to make country life reasonably satisfying. In the in- 

 terests of the whole public as well as of farmers them- 

 selves it is imperatively essential that there be maintained 

 upon the land a vigorous, intelligent, self-reliant agricul- 

 tural citizenship. This can only be obtained by securing 

 and retaining such conditions as will make farming a 

 reasonably profitable business and the country a finan- 

 cially and socially satisfying place in which to live. 



Naturally we expect that the specific plans and pro- 

 grams of county agents and farm bureaus will be such as 

 promise the surest and speediest road to these ends. An 

 adequate farm income is recognized as of first importance. 

 Aside from the social phases of country life problems, then 

 we should expect programs to include two main lines of 

 effort, (1) how to secure efficient production, (2) how to 



