528 



RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



understood by all the members. The farm bureau is primarily 

 a county and not a community organization; therefore, from the 

 outset nothing should be done to give the wrong impression. 

 The plan of having farm-bureau members assemble by communi- 

 ties to elect or select community committeemen has not been pro- 

 ductive of the best results, and for the first year of the bureau's 

 existence should not be encouraged. 



Meetings. As many meetings of each community committee 

 should be held as are needed to plan and execute the program 

 of the community. The president of the bureau, accompanied 

 by one or more of the agents, and, if necessary, by one or more 

 of the county project leaders, should always attend the meet- 

 ing of the committee at which it organizes for the year. Such 

 officers, project leaders, and agents as are needed to assist in 

 promoting the work in hand in the community should attend 

 other meetings of the local committee. Meetings of the com- 

 munity committees should be encouraged whenever work is to 

 be discussed or undertaken even though the agents or county 

 project leaders can not be present. This will tend to pro- 

 mote the plan of having the local people take the initiative in 

 matters pertaining to the community. It is unwise, however, to 

 encourage chairmen to call a committee meeting unless there is 

 need of such meeting. If any of the county leaders or agents 

 have matters of unusual importance which they wish to present 

 quickly to the community committees, sectional meetings of sev- 

 eral committees may be held, especially if the problems of the 

 communities are similar. 



At least once a year each community committee should hold 

 a business meeting to which the farm-bureau members residing in 

 the community are invited. 



After a definite program of work has been formulated, and 

 each community committeeman has agreed to assume respon- 

 sibility for some part of the program, fewer meetings will suffice. 

 For instance, if the State or county leader of cooperative pur- 

 chasing and marketing work visits a community to promote the 

 interests of such work, he will need to consult only with the 

 community committeeman who heads some phase of this project 

 in the community, unless it involves a decided change in the 

 community program, in which case it may be desirable for them 



