332 THE COUNTY AGENT 



Farm Bureaus for New York State stated the functions of the 

 Farm Bureaus to be, in the order of their importance, as follows: 



1. The federation of all the existing agricultural forces and organizations 

 in the county to a common purpose (i.e., schools, local granges, clubs, 

 societies, etc.). 



2. Agricultural leadership in its broad sense. 



3. Organization of associations for better methods of production (e.g., 

 cow testing, seed improvement, etc.). 



4. Organization of marketing associations for both buying and selling. 



5. The study of local economic needs of the county, that correct farm 

 management practices may be demonstrated and introduced. 



6. The giving of personal advice to farmers. This is last and least 

 important. 



7. General "All these functions should be exercised with the point of 

 view of increasing the financial profitableness of farming within the county 

 by increasing the net income of farmers, and of making country life and work 

 increasingly worth while in the larger sense." 3 



These functions of the Farm Bureau are, strictly speaking, the 

 functions of the County Agent, since he is the agent of the Bureau. 



Finances. The County Agent work is financed through three 

 sources federal, State and local. The local money comes in the 

 form of dues from members of the Farm Bureau and from a tax 

 on the property in the county. The State usually raises a fund 

 for this work by a tax. The Federal Government, through its taxing 

 powers, collects funds which are apportioned to the States on a 

 basis of the rural population of the State. The Smith-Lever Act 

 made the flat appropriation of $10,000 per annum to each State. 

 After the fiscal year 1915-1916 the grant under this act increases 

 annually up to the year 1923, the maximum for that year and 

 each year thereafter being a total of $4,580,000. All grants above 

 the first $10,000 must be duplicated by the State, in order to entitle 

 the State to receive the federal grant. The table in the appendix 

 to this chapter shows the significance of these financial terms. 



The cost of the County Agent to any individual farmer is but 

 a small amount a few dollars at most. Compared with what a 

 laborer pays in annual dues to his union, the average farmer is 

 contributing lightly to his Farm Bureau. 



Growth of the Farm Bureau. The very rapid spread of the 

 Farm Bureau through the North and the West is shown by the 

 following figures: 



Dec. 1, 1916 287 Farm Bureaus 98,654 members 



Dec. 1, 1917 384 Farm Bureaus 161,391 members 



June 30, 1918 791 Farm Bureaus 290,000 members 



3 Burritt, M. C., The County Farm Bureau Movement in New York State. 

 Circular 93, Department of Agriculture, Albany, New York, 1914, p. 12. 



