February, 1931 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



^9. 



President's Address 



, • ; :: (Continued from page }) 



crops aided by savings resulting 

 ■;■'■ from the organized purchasing 



of necessary commodities and 



services. - 



4. The maintenance of a strong 



and active organization to pro- 

 ':< tect and speak for the farmers 

 ; of the state. 



"I do not claim that we have suc- 

 ceeded in accomplishing all the things 

 that we set out to do since our last 

 annual meeting. There have been dis- 

 couragements, which at the moment 

 may have loomed large, because of the 

 perspective from which they were 

 viewed, but a survey of the year's ac- 

 complishments in those fields covered 

 by a large part of the Association's pro- 

 gram justifies and encourages moving 

 forward with more determination in 

 that portion of the Association's pro- 

 gram, where there are yet obstacles to 

 overcome. 



Expansion in 1930 



"A year ago it was recommended and 

 the delegates directed that the program 

 for 1930 provide for expansion and 

 intensive attention to the development 

 of co-operative marketing in its various 

 branches. The Marketing Committee, 

 the Board of Directors and the Officers 

 of the Association have put forth theii 

 best and combined efforts to carry out 

 these instructions. 



"The results of the year disclose 

 that approximately $77,064.00 have 

 been expended or advanced in a sincere 

 endeavor to provide farm^^rs producing 

 various major cash crops with the op- 

 portunity to centralize control of each 

 commodity within their own hands, and 

 thereby and therein have the power to 

 feed the particular commodity into the 

 channels of trade in such manner as 

 would best influence and stabilize the 

 price of such commodities. Varying 

 degrees of success have been attained. 

 Aided by the Agricultural Marketing 

 Act and the Federal Farm Board, co- 

 operative marketing of farm products 

 has easily dominated the attention of 

 the Association during the year just 

 closed. 



Marketing Progress 



"It is a credit to past achievements 

 in this field that few of the co-opera- 

 tive associations successfully launched 

 by the Farm Bureau and the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association during recent 

 years have found it necessary to go to 

 the Farm Board for loans and assist- 

 ance. Only our newer projects, which, 

 hy their very nature required unusually 

 large funds, found it necessary to seek 

 governmental assistance. ■* ' 



"A survey of what Illinois farmers 

 have accomplished in building a farm- 



A. N. Skinner 



Geo. J. Stoll 



AN. SKINNER of Yates City and 

 * George J. Stoll of Chestnut, the 

 retiring members of the 1930 board of 

 directors, served their respective dis- 

 tricts with ability, integrity and faith- 

 fulness during their years on the board. 



Mr. Skinner was a member of the 

 important Finance Committee. Mr. 

 Stoll served as the grain member on 

 the Marketing Committee and took an 

 active part in the formation of the 

 Illinois and Midwest Grain Corpora- 

 tions. ■ „■'>■:■ ■■'';"■"■';■■ •■:.':<\' ^ "■'■,; :,;■■ ' --/'y'" 



Mr. Skinner will direct the Farm 

 Bureau insurance program in Knox 

 county in addition to managing his 

 farm. Mr. Stoll is actively engaged in 

 farming near Chestnut in Logan coun- 

 ty and is well known throughout the 

 middle west as a breeder of purebred 

 Shire horses which have carried off 

 many honors at the International and 

 other live stock shows. 



er-owned and farmer-controlled system 

 of marketing reveals that nearly one- 

 third of Illinois live stock, more than 

 70 per cent of the state's milk produc- 

 tion, approximately 5,000,000 pounds 

 of butterfat, together with an ever- 

 increasing percentage of poultry and 

 eggs, are now marketed co-operatively. 

 Fruit and vegetable growers are well 

 organized, but because of the past sea- 

 son's limited production, found it un- 

 necessary to expand their activities. 



"An important beginning has been 

 made in selling grain co-operatively 

 through the Illinois Grain Corporation 

 and its subsidiary sales agency, the 

 Mid-West Grain Corporation. This 

 promises' much for the future. The 

 Soybean Marketing Association not 

 only handled more than 1,100,000 

 bushels of beans within a few weeks, 

 but I believe played an important, if 

 not a controlling part, in preventing a 

 drastic price recession considerably be- 

 low the initial advance of $1.00 per 

 bushel made by the Association to its 

 members. : • . 



"Each marketing activity deserves 

 mention and may be considered by the 

 producers it affects as the most impor- 

 tant development meeting the needs of 

 the farmers; yet, I am sure that in the 

 field of live stock, d^iry, produce and 



fruit and vegetable marketing, the poli- 

 cies of each are well understood by the 

 membership throughout the state and 

 by those, engaged in the production of — 

 such Commodities... •"'. ':-■■;.■'■'! '.■■'•'/■vSr;'''' 



"For real achievement and construc-vV.' ? 

 tive advancement, the 12 service de- 

 partments of the I. A. A. have been 

 more outstanding than in any previous 

 year. It being the secretary's duty to 

 report on these departments, and for 

 fear of repetition, I will not deal fur- 

 ther with their activities. ■;■.;. 



"Because of the scope of territory 

 served, their respective importance to 

 producers and their recent develop- 

 ment, I feel it my duty to discuss at 

 some length the principles and policies 

 of the Illinois Grain Corporation and 

 the Soybean Marketing Association. 

 This is particularly timely, as we find 

 many well meaning farmers confused 

 by opponents of these activities and 

 whose support and identity are rarely 

 disclosed. 



Illinois Grain Corp. 



"The Illinois Grain Corporation was 

 launched in February of last year. It 

 was incorporated for the purposes and 

 within the principles adopted at the 

 last annual meeting. Its Board of Di- 

 rectors was and is constituted of or- ^ 

 ganization-minded members of farmers' 

 elevators from the main grain-produc- 

 ing counties of the state. Its affairs are 

 not managed by the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association, although the Asso- 

 ciation has rendered, is rendering and 

 will continue to render every possible 

 assistance to its program and develop- 

 ment. The I. A. A. is its most substan- 

 tial stockholder and in addition has as- 

 sisted in financing its organization pro- 

 gram. 



"The Illinois Grain Corporation is the 

 result of years of desire and effort on 

 the part of the I. A. A. to respond to 

 the repeated requests and urging of its 

 grain producing members. It recog- 

 nizes the farmers' elevator as its local 

 unit and is founded upon, owned, con- 

 trolled and directed by such member 

 elevators and grain producers. It does 

 not seek control of the local elevator 

 or any of its policies, which are and 

 should be controlled by its member 

 grain producers. The Illinois Grain 

 Corporation does insist, however, that 

 the grain handled by its member ele- 

 vators be sold in and through the Mid- 

 West Grain Corporation, which is the 

 sales agency provided by the Illinois 

 Grain Corporation for its members on 

 the Chicago, St. Loxiis, Peoria and In- 

 dianapolis markets. The Illinois Grain 

 Corporation offers to the truly farmer 

 co-operative elevators of Illinois an op- 

 portunity to extend the economy and " 

 efficiency they have provided farmers 



