August, 1931 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



Page Seventeen 



Sam Thompson Talks to 

 Home Folks at Old Salem 



Review^s Economic Situation, Tells 

 ; How Farmers Can Help Selves 

 By Working Together 



THE influence of world economic 

 and political conditions on Amer- 

 ican farm prices, a review of the agri- 

 cultural situation in this country, the 

 government's national program for agri- 

 culture through the Marketing Act, 

 the farmer's opportunity for better bar- 

 gaining power through co-operative 

 marketing, and the achievements of 

 IlHnois farmers in this field were dis- 

 cussed by Sam H. Thompson, member 

 Federal Farm Board, at the 20th dis- 

 trict Farm Bureau picnic, Old Salem, 

 Menard county, August 12. 



Mr. Thompson's address was a con- 

 structive presentation and summary of 

 the current situation and what farm- 

 ers can do toward improving their eco- 

 nomic position. 



"To help farmers make the necessary 

 adjustments in production, distribution, 

 and marketing to meet these changed 

 conditions," said the speaker, "Congress 

 passed the Agricultural Marketing Act 

 and created the Federal Farm Board to 

 administer it. By this Act Congress 

 definitely committed the government to 

 the support of co-operative marketing 

 as a means to help farmers help them- 

 selves in this adjustment, the most un- 

 paralled which they, the farmers of 

 America, have had to make in 150 

 years. 



• "Making these adjustments for Amer- 

 ican agriculture means collective plan- 

 ning, collective thinking, and collective 

 working upon the supply and demand 

 problems, production problems, and a 

 multitude of problems connected with 

 the economical distribution and market- 

 ing of crops. Progress will be made 

 more surely and more steadily if back 

 of the program there is a growing, co- 

 herent and unified body of farmers' 

 co-operative organizations working to a 

 common end. This should develop a 

 program of lasting value. . . . 



Only Efficient Producer Can Be 

 Helped 



'^Through organized marketing the 

 farmer should receive a larger part of 

 the dollar paid by the consumer for his 

 product. His co-operative can be of 

 real service in helping him to plan his 

 next year's operation. But the farmer 

 must be an efficient producer to get 

 these benefits. There is nothing that 

 can be done to help the inefficient man 

 tvho refuses to change his methods. 



"Correlation of all of our efforts. 



Sam H. ThoiiiitNon 



Federal and State, with the loyalty and 

 support of farmers, will bring about 

 these accumulated results: adjustment 

 of production to consumer's demand, 

 organized marketing in the interests of 

 the farmer, and efficient production. 

 It must be kept in mind that no pro- 

 duction problem can be separated from 

 the purely human problem of making 

 a decent living, which always presses 

 severely upon the producer. . . . 



Progress of Co-Operative Marketing 

 In Illinois 



"For more than 15 years the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association has been do- 

 ing local work in the promotion of 

 co-operative marketing in the state of 

 Illinois. This organization has to its 

 credit, as you all know, a wonderful 

 achievement. In July, 1930, there were 

 970 co-operative marketing associations 

 in Illinois. These associations had a 

 total membership of 206,700 and dur- 

 ing the year 1929-30 transacted busi- 

 ness to the amount of $204,600,000, 

 of which dairy products made up ap- 

 proximately $38,000,0000, grain %97,- 

 000,000 and livestock $60,000,000. 

 Since the creation of the Farm Board 

 the Illinois Agricultural Association 

 has had the Board's assistance and co- 

 operation in all of its work. . . . 



Co-Op. Marketing Not Magic 



"The advocate of co-operative mar- 

 keting should keep in mind, in his 

 earnest desire to help himself and his 

 neighbors, not to over-sell co-operative 

 marketing. He should not become so 

 enthusiastic as to believe that co-oper- 



ative marketing is a panacea for all 

 farm ills or that it will make him rich 

 X>ver night, or that such a plan is the sort 

 of magic by which inefficiency can be 

 turned into efficiency, or weakness into 

 strength, or failure into success. Co- 

 operative marketing is only a method 

 of doing business. Unless it can pro- 

 duce better results than the system with 

 which farmers are dissatisfied, it cannot 

 hope to succeed. The results of any 

 system or method, new or old, depend 

 upon the efficiency of its management, 

 the honesty and competency of its offi- 

 cials, and the loyalty of its supporting 

 members. .■■., 'Vv.-;; ,:.^ ■ .■■: v ;v. ^.;.>.,-^.;,;- ■-■...-.:;■■ 



Individual Farmer's Part > \ 



"In this connection, it is worth while 

 to observe that it is the farmer's job 

 to set up the organization. The farm- 

 ers who market their products through 

 organizations must become responsible 

 for their successful operation. Team- 

 work between farmers and the manage- 

 ment of their associations on one hand 

 and the Board on the other should re- 

 sult in the development of strong co- 

 operatives which can and will render 

 effective service to their members and 

 which will become the chief factors in 

 improving agricultural conditions. ; . 



"If the individual farmer is to receive 

 Jhe benefits, he must become a member 

 of his local co-operative association. 

 Whether he joins is a matter for him 

 to decide for himself. He should do 

 this of his own free will after he has 

 carefully investigated the situation as 

 to the soundness of the organization's 

 management and the purposes, as well 

 as the benefits, he may secure there- 

 from. 



"The American farmer must come 

 to realize that six and one-half million 

 farmers operating individual farm units 

 are helpless in marketing their products 

 unless they co-operate with their neigh- 

 bors in local associations and these asso- 

 ciations centralize their sales efforts in 

 one organization. In the development 

 of national organizations to cope with 

 other highly organized groups, the in- 

 dividual farmer must do his part by 

 joining and supporting a local associa- 

 tion affiliated with the national sales 

 agency. 



Know^ Your Friends 



"To farmers and to others interested 

 in the betterment of agriculture I 

 would suggest that they consider the 

 facts I have recited before they swal- 

 low other views of the situation, even 

 if these are voiced by their unques- 

 tioned friends. A great deal of mis- 

 leading and even malicious propaganda 

 is being spread, both openly arid under 

 cover, by men who are out to get some 

 {Continued on Page 18) 



