HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



NEWS OF THE FARM BUREAU 



FARM BUREAU HOLDS 



ANNUAL MEETING 



A good sized group of Hampshire 

 County farmers, members of the Farm 

 Bureau, attended the second annual meet- 

 ing held in Odd Fellows Hall, Northamp- 

 ton, Thursday, December 13. Reports j 

 of the officers showed that the local or- [ 

 ganizations is a live and going concern 

 with money in the treasury. All enjoyed 

 the speaking and many favorable com- 

 ments were heard regaiding the Farm 

 Bureau film "Spring Valley" which was 

 shown for the first time in this county. 

 The following officers were elected for 

 1924: President, A. D. Montague, West- 

 hampton ; Vice-president, Raymond Dick- 

 inson, Amherst; Secretary, Fred Bean, 

 Florence; Treasurer, W. H. Wilson, 

 Leeds ; Executive Committee, Josiah Par- 

 sons, E. P. West, Geo. L. Barrus. 



The speech of the day was by the Hon. 

 B. Loring Young, Speaker of the Massa- 

 chusetts Hou.se of Representatives. Mr. 

 Young showed himself thoroughly famil- 

 iar with the purposes and accomplish- 

 ments of the Farm Bureau movement and 

 gave his unqualified endorsement of the 

 work being done in Massachusetts. He 

 said in part: 



"Some farmers may say, 'I cannot 

 afford to belong to the Farm Bureau'. 

 In my opinion, no farmer can afford not 

 to belong to the Farm Bureau, can afford 

 to remain aloof from a movement which 

 can do so much to improve the economic 

 status of the farm. 



"Every citizen of Massachusetts should 

 be deeply interested in the success of the 

 Farm Bureau. The prosperity of agri- 

 culture is of real concern to all our people 

 and the Farm Bureau is one of the most 

 important agencies now functioning from 

 its betterment. 



"The Farm Bureau has been an im- 

 portant cause of the reawakening of 

 Massachusetts agriculture. I know there 

 are several agencies working in coopera- 

 tion for farm betterment, — the Trustees 

 of County Aid to Agriculture, the County 

 Extension Service, the Farm Bureau, the 

 Farmers' Exchange. I consider them as 

 partners entitled to equal credit in the 

 new campaign for agricultural prosperi- 

 ty. What then does this movement stand 

 for and what does it promise for the 

 future. 



"First and foremost it brings to the 

 farm the benefits of scientific research. 

 Within a generation, science has revolu- 

 tionized industry, business and transpor- 

 tation. But for too long a period the 

 New England farm clung to the methods 

 of the past. Now the individual farmer 

 working long hours on his own land has 



neither time nor facilities for study, re- j 

 search and experiment. But the colleges 

 and experiment stations are doing this 

 research for him. And through the 

 Farm Bureau and Extension Service, the 

 knowledge and the benefit of improved 

 methods of agriculture are being brought 

 to the door and fireside of every American 

 Farmer. 



"Hand in hand with scientific research 

 should go the principal of modern busi- 

 ness organization. Too long, the farmer, 

 when he bought his supplies, has paid 

 without question the seller's price and 

 when he sold his products has accepted, 

 without question, the buyer's price. He 

 has been between the uppei' and the lower 

 milestone and much of the profit of his 

 labor has been lost because he neglected 

 to make effective his true economic power. 

 Successful business today is well oigan- 

 ized in the individual plant and in the 

 industry as a whole Business men have 

 their trade as.sociations and chambers of 

 commerce. Laboring men and women 

 have their trade unions. Large indus- 

 tries, .such as steel companies, by the very 

 fact of their size, command attention and 

 respect in trade relations which no indi- 

 vidual can expect to attain. 



"The third benefit of the Farm Bureau 

 comes from its complete independence of 

 political control. It is democratic, self- 

 supporting and self-governing. The na- 

 tion, the state, and the county are doing 

 what they can. But without individual 

 effort and responsibility nothing can suc- 

 ceed. The farmers need their own or- 

 ganization, managed by their own officers, 

 representing not the government or any 

 outside agency, and spending their own 

 money and not the money of the tax- 

 payers. The work being done at public 

 expense is good and is essential, but the 

 j Farm Bureau does what no one else can 

 do, it helps the farmers to help them- 

 I selves. 



j "I am not one of those who believe 

 that the farmer in Massachusetts should 

 look to the state for any real help through 

 j legislation. Although representing for 

 eight years an agricultural district of 

 Middlesex County on the edge of greater 

 Boston, 1 have never felt sympathy with 

 the question, "What is the State doing 

 for the farmer'?" This question is not 

 in keeping with the self-reliant spirit 

 of Massachusetts. No one can expect 

 .special favors. All that can be asked by 

 any group, business or individual, is free- 

 dom from unjust burdens and discrimina- 

 tions, and a fair chance to work out one's 

 own salvation. 



"But the state government lias tried 

 to be helpful. With the exception of day- 

 light saving, a policy with regard to 

 which the population of the cities has so 

 far controlled, the Massachusetts Legis- 

 lature has complied with every request 



made by the farmers of Massachusetts, 

 and we have recognized the Farm Bui'eau 

 speaking through its State Federation as 

 a pennanent body officially representative 

 of the farmer, speaking with knowledge 

 and authority. 



"Every experiment in cooperative agri- 

 culture should be encouraged and watched 

 with the greatest interest. It is obvious 

 that our modern system of distribution 

 is not going to be suddenly and totally 

 changed. In our complicated civilization, 

 wholesale and retail dealers perform im- 

 portant functions in the distribution of 

 commodities. But every step forward in 

 cooperative agriculture — both buying and 

 selling — should be encouraged by the 

 state. The i-eason is the vital connection 

 between agricultural prosperity, the do- 

 mestic food supply and the general cost of 

 living. Why should the farmer buy fer- 

 tilizer, feed stuffs and other essential bulk 

 commodities at retail prices, when by co- 

 operation with other farmers he can buy 

 standard, uniform, inspected products at 

 wholesale prices? Why should he ship 

 his product to a distant market with 

 slight knowledge of market conditions 

 ^nd the fluctuation of prices and be forced 

 to accept without prqtest the buyer's 

 figure? Why should he depress the price 

 of his product by dumping when by stor- 

 age and gradual marketing he can keep 

 I the price at more neai-ly a uniform level? 

 j Why should the advantage of competition 

 be against the farmer in every transac- 

 tion? Why should he not by cooperative 

 ! effort secure supervision and advice in 

 grading, packing and marketing his prod- 

 uct under the best conditions and at the 

 best figure which business foresight can 

 command? The passage by our Legisla- 

 ture of a cooperative agricultural law 

 last winter was a recognition of the fact 

 that the farmer needs business organiza- 

 tion not only to protect his own interests 

 but to advance the general welfare. 



"Most important to the Farm Bureau 

 of all measures passed at the last session 

 was the new law making legal the forma- 

 tion of agiicultural and other cooperative 

 corporations without capital stock. Al- 

 ready one corporation has been formed 

 under the Act, the Nashoba Fruit Grow- 

 ers Association which has established a 

 cooperative apple giading and packing 

 plant at Littleton in Middlesex County." 



Legislative Conference Held 



The State Federation and the county 

 faim bureaus were well represented at 

 the annual legislative conference of agri- 

 cultural organizations held at Hotel Ban- 

 croft, Worceste]-, December 19th. 



A strong legislative program has been 

 outlined which merits the suppoi't of all 

 farm peojile. 



