HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



NEWS OF THE FARM BUREAU 



REPORT OF PROGRESS 

 ON 1923 FARM 



BUREAU PROJECTS 



Farm Bureau membei'S are continuually 

 asking, "What is the Farm Bureau 

 doing?" The following report of pro- 

 gress recently issued by the American 

 FaiTH Bureau Federation will indicate a 

 few of the accomplishments of the na- 

 tional organization. This is all in addi- 

 tion to the work of the State Federation 

 and the County Farm Bureaus: 



Co-operative Marketing 



1. Rendered direct assistance in na- 

 tional or state marketing to projects in 

 twenty-one states. Made cooperative 

 marketing the leading Farm Bureau pro- 

 ject of the year. Placed a national 

 marketing expert in charge. 



2. Helped the states secure adequate 

 and uniform cooperative marketing laws, 

 supplementing the federal act on coopera- 

 tive marketing. Secured for the coopera- 

 tive marketing department of the Ameri- 

 can Farm Bureau Federation and its af- 

 filiated state marketing groups the serv- 

 ices of an outstanding legal advi.sor of 

 national reputation so that cooperative 

 marketing associations might be built 

 upon lines safeguarded by the laws of 

 the land. 



3. Fostered cooperative marketing of 

 livestock through the National Live-stock 

 Producers' Association which has added 

 si.x new terminal markets during the year 

 until now twelve such cooperative termi- 

 nals are in operation with several more 

 in immediate prospect. These coopera- 

 tive livestock terminals which weie opera- 

 ting during the first five months of this 

 year have done a total business of 20,719 

 cars of livestock with a value of $37,000,- 

 000. The average business handled by 

 the cooperatives on these markets has al- 

 ready reached 9.6 per cent of the total 

 sales of these markets. Patronage divi- 

 dends refunded to shippers during first 

 eighteen months, .?170,000. Now serving 

 membership of 100,000 livestock produc- 

 ers. 



4. Through a specialist in cooperative 

 dairy marketing aided in setting up or 

 assisting struggling cooperative market- 

 ing associations in butter, cheese, milk, 

 cream, condensed milk and other dairy 

 products in twelve states and through the 

 Committee of Nine laid the foundation 

 for a National Cooperative Dairy Sales 

 Agency. 



5. Backed up the Federated Fruit 

 and Vegetable Growers, Inc., the national 

 growers' sales organization for fruits and 

 vegetables, bringing into its circle state 

 and local associations giving the national 



organization 21,000 grower members with 

 a probable annual tonnage of 50,000 cars. 



6. Developed a national plan for mar- 

 keting potatoes on a commodity basis and 

 presented organization plans and actively 

 participated in campaigns in eight states. 



7. Developed a national plan for mar- 

 keting onions on a commodity basis and 

 furnished oi-ganization plan for onion 

 growing states. Participated in organiz- 

 ing Indiana Farm Bureau Onion Growers' 

 Exchange, the first state unit of the na- 

 tional plan. 



8. Further strengthened the member- 

 ship in the cooperative tobacco marketing 

 organizations until the growers of this 

 farm crop now have one of the most ef- 

 fective cooperative marketing agencies in 

 the world. 



9. Called a National Egg Marketing 

 Conference at Chicago, appointed Na- 

 tional Egg Marketing Committee repre- 

 senting all parts of the country, and per- 

 fected preliminary plans leading toward 

 national cooperative marketing of eggs 

 and poultry products. 



10. Throughout the south further 

 aided the American Cotton Growers' Ex- 

 change until it now embraces twelve cot- 

 ton producing states with approximately 

 210,000 member growers with resultant 

 market conditions most favoiable to the 

 cotton grower. 



11. Urged farm or local storage of 

 200,000,000 bushels of wheat in the in- 

 terest of orderly marketing of this prod- 

 uct. Opposed government price fixing of 

 wheat and other farm products. Gave 

 initial suggestions to the idea of feeding 

 cheap wheat to livestock. 



Transportation 



12. Helped secure a cut of .$1,000,000 

 in the farmers' freight bill through fa- 

 vorable ruling from the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission on mixed cars of live- 

 stock — a fight waged since 1920. Saving 

 averages $3 to $5 per car for the farmer. 



13. Participated in the reduction of 

 the minimum weight on hogs in single 

 deck cars from 17,000 to 16,000 pounds 

 in ten principal shipping states and also 

 helped to secure the establishment of a 

 16,000-pound car minimum on hogs 

 throughout the Southeastern states. 

 The.^e accomplishments prevent serious 

 losses due to overcrowding and benfit the 

 farmer in such reduced losses and in re- 

 duced rates to approximately .$400,000 a 

 year. 



14. Through the Transportation De- 

 partment alleviated car shortage which 

 at times reached 176,000 cars daily. 

 Urged the American Railway Association 

 to adopt a constructive program to pre- 

 vent car shortage and secured effective 

 cooperation through the Car Service Di- 



vision. The only shippers' organization 

 that sensed the need of such constructive 

 program. The suggested program of the 

 American Farm Bureau Federation was 

 made a part of the American Railway 

 Association program which is now suc- 

 cessfully handling the highest car load- 

 ings in the history of the United States. 



15. Issued through Transportation 

 Department a booklet on the "Pros and 

 Cons of the Transportation Act" to give 

 the farmers of the country full informa- 

 tion on this national question and better 

 prepare them for constructive and con- 

 certed action on relief measures in the 

 future. 



16. Made further gains toward im- 

 proving tiansportation by means of the 

 Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Waterway 

 which will be of incalculable benefit to 

 farmers. . 



17. Cooperated with the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture in working 

 toward an index figure of freight rates 

 on agricultural products which will be 

 acceptable to the farmer, the trader, and 

 the railroad. 



Legislation 



18. Was the outstanding champion of 

 the Intermediate Farm Credits Act which 

 was written into the laws of the nation. 

 Through the twelve Federal Farm Loan 

 Banks gives the farmers an ultimate 

 credit reservoir of $660,000,000. In a 

 few months operating has already begun 

 to help relieve the hard pressed farmer 

 with more than $16,000,000 loans already 

 extended. 



19. Initiated or championed twenty- 

 six laws (passed by the Sixty-seventh 

 Congress) and favoring farmers' interests 

 which means more to the farmers than 

 all farm legislation of the last decade. 



20. Established a close and greatly im- 

 proved cooperative working relationship 

 with the Federal Resei-ve Banks by se- 

 curing appointment of an agriculturally 

 minded representative on Federal Re.serve 

 Board. 



21. Helped secure the revival and ex- 

 tension of the War Finance Corporation 

 for the present year. 



22. Was the principal backer of the 

 amended Warehouse Act increasing fa- 

 cilities for .securing credit on all clas.ses 

 of stored agricultural products when in 

 approved places of storage, on farms or 

 at concentration points. 



23. Won the fight for the amendments 

 of the Federal Farm Loan Act to increase 

 the individual farm loan limit from 

 $10,000 to $25,000, extend the working 

 capital of the Federal Farm Loan Banks 

 by $25,000,000 and the authorization of 

 a maximum interest on Federal Farm 



Continiipd o!i p-'is^:*^ 11, roUimn 1 



