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I. A. A. RECORD 



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EXTRA EDITION, JUNE, 1932 



JRE MUST BE ORGANIZED " 



■ ' ■■ "s ! 



oden 



imerican Farmers 



that you lend your aid 

 agriculture rather than to 



for when the farmer is 

 bus there is prosperity for 

 lie ex-governor had return- 

 a tour through Denmark, 

 ker Scandinavian countries 

 .day before the meeting, 

 ptory teaches anything," he 



*it teaches that perma- 

 |)sperity cannot come wlth- 



prosperity. We cannot 

 J balanced agriculture, nor 

 [culture back to a state of 

 Iwith other industries, with- 

 (inization. This is a busi- 

 I's problem as much as the 



No nation has long sur- 

 le decay of its agriculture." 



>f(>*.«*'^rf«r«f 



rm ProUems— Hyde 



lo/ Agriculture 



[the markets of the world. 



gh his organization, the 

 [can get . Information as to 

 Jity supples, can bring his 

 lion within the limits of de- 

 lan control the surplus prob- 

 Ipreventing it. By organlza- 

 ^J^XJner'can take control of 

 li Industry; re-establish the 

 )dence of his calling; win 



place in the sun of eco- 

 bquality, and having won it, 

 ^against (all the changing 

 Ides of the future." 



Solution Problems 



)ckford, Jan., 1932 : 



.^e previously stated and yet 



^at unorganized farmers 



ite the greatest obstacle op- 



to delay proper solutions to 



^f our difficulties. 



[am right in my conclusions, 



ition, further organization 



complete organization of 



should be the keynote of 



wention. 



[adequately organized agri- 



could have wielded far 



influence In the councils of 



[ate and nation. Illinois and 



m farmers could not have 



freed into a 12-year period of 



^n with such an organlza- 



''ast increasing and unjust 



Is of the cost of government 



[lot have been shouldered 



Igrlculture, Their combined 



(ce could and can operate to 



reduce costs of government, 



[larly within the counties 



[most of our tax money re- 



u 



More Than A Fight 



For Fair Farm Prices'* 



Says C. V. Gregory. Editor 

 Prairie Farmer 



In" staging state wide farm pa- 

 rades July 4th, Illinois farmers are 

 doing more than lead a fight for 

 fair farm prices. 



We are in the midst of a struggle 

 in which farmers are furnishing 

 the shock troops, but they are 

 Oghting for the rights of all the 

 common people as well as for them- 

 selves. They are leading the fight 

 for all people who work for a living, 

 who want a dollar only in return 

 for a dollar's worth of service. 



It is a struggle to determine 

 whether the common people shall 

 continue to work for themselves, 

 using and enjoying the things that 

 they produce in such great abun- 

 dance, or whether the nation shall 

 be turned over to the exploiter and 

 the spoiler. 



The common people of America 

 stand in battle array, and the God 

 of Justice is fighting on their side. 

 The farmers of Illinois are in the 

 front line, confident that their or- 

 ganized effort will win the victory. 



The great agricultural state of 

 Illinois is fortunate in having in 

 this time of emergency the great 

 Illinois Agricultural Association, 

 strongest and most ably manned 

 state farm organization in the 

 country. Twenty years of Farm Bu- 

 reau experience in Illinois has de- 

 veloped leaders whose ability is un- 

 surpassed in any field. Their serv- 

 ices are dedicated to this fight for 

 equality for agriculture. 



When 10,000 new Farm Bureau 

 members march in review July 4th, 

 shoulder to shoulder with the vet- 

 erans in the movement, that dem- 

 onstration of loyalty and support 

 will double the effectiveness of the 

 leaders. Under the flag of the Farm 

 Bureau the farmers of Illinois July 

 4th will start the march to victory. 



Sam H. Thompson ■ 



"Efficient Production 



Alone Not Enough 



Sam H. Thompson 



»» 



I\iture progress of agriculture de- 

 pends today more than at any time 

 in the history of our country on 

 strong organization of farmers. 

 Efficient production alone, growing 

 more bushels per acre, breeding 

 more and better livestock will not 

 solve the present day problems. We 

 must put agriculture on a sound 

 basis. Long hours of labor, working 

 every member of the family and 

 practising self-denial and contin- 

 ually drawing out and exhausting 

 the fertility of the soil have in the 

 past made it possible to pay for 

 farms. We cannot longer afford to 

 farm that way. If we want to keep 

 our children on the farm and con- 

 tinue the business, we must put ag- 

 riculture on a substantial paying 

 basis that will bring satisfactory 

 returns, so that they can make the 

 home and farm attractive and 

 really worth while, for the best of 

 men. 



Clifford V. Gregory 



Two Obstacles To Overcome 



By Jas. C. Stone, Chairman 

 Federal Farm Board 



"The co-operative movement has 

 two obstacles to overcome and pro- 

 tect itself against. Perhaps the 

 more serious is that within the 

 ranks of agriculture — apathy and 

 indifference on the part of many 

 farmers, who do not understand 

 what the program means to them. 



"Then there is the opposition 

 coming from some of those who 

 are engaged in handling farm prod- 

 ucts. This opposition is directing 

 its fire largely against the Farm 

 Board with such charges as 'gov- 

 ernment in business', 'price fixing', 

 and 'setting aside the law of sup- 

 ply and demand', all designed to 

 stir up public resentment against 

 what is being done. 



"I would like to suggest to you 

 leaders in co-operative marketing 

 and all others engaged in agricul- 

 ture that you must not let the real 

 purpose be camouflaged by such 

 tactics. That real purpose is 

 against farmers organizing their 

 own marketing system. Its object 

 is to kill co-operative marketing. 



"Organized agriculture will have 

 to make itself heard if It wishes to 

 protect what it has gained. A most 

 important work to be done is that 

 of informing unorganized farmers 

 and the public generally about the 

 co-operative program." 



Organization— Only Way 

 Farmers Can Be Effective 



By George C. Jewett, Vice-chairman 

 Congress Trust and Savings Bank 



The Nation is in distress. Dis- 

 tress — disaster — soup kitchens — un- 

 employment and suicides prevail 

 through the land. Improvement 

 must start with agriculture. This 

 is realized and frankly admitted by 



the business in- 

 terests of the 

 nation. This 

 places on the 

 shoulders of the 

 farmer, the na- 

 tion's as well as 

 his own welfare. 

 It calls for and 

 demands a mili- 

 t a n t fighting 

 farmer and a 

 militant fight- 

 ing farm lead- 

 ership. The only 

 way the farmer 

 can effectively fight is through or- 

 ganization. 



The only way the farm leader can 

 fight is with a powerful organized 

 backing. Without strong organized 

 leadership, the farmer will con- 

 tinue in difficulty and distress, and 

 eventually will be relegated to a 

 peasantry class; the growth of the 

 nation retarded and our social and 

 civic life endangered. It is time to 

 fully organize. It is time, too, to 

 give farm leaders power and 

 strength. Organization is the 

 watchword of the hour and on it 

 depends everything. 



Jas. C. Stone 



Mr. Jewett 



ORGANIZATION 

 CUTS LIMESTONE- 

 PHOSPHATE COST 



Co-operative Action Alone 



Makes Possible Savings 



To Bureau Members 



Since the Limestone-Phosphate 

 Department of the I. A. A. was or- 

 ganized early in 1920, a complete 

 change has been brought about in 

 both the methods of handling lime- 

 stone and phosphate and the stan- 

 dard quality grades acceptable to 

 Illinois farmers. These changes, in 

 both cases, resulted beneficially to 

 the purchasers. 



In the cost of limestone, a con- 

 tinual check has been maintained 

 on the product produced by each 

 company cooperating with the I. A. 

 A. and County Farm Bureaus, with 

 the result that a valuation score 

 card as to competitive quality was! 

 prepared, which put all agricultural | 

 limestone on the market at its own i 

 value and price according to qual-i 

 ity, rather than permitting all 

 grades to be sold at same price, 

 which unduly penalized the pur- 

 chaser of material of low grade 

 where he could have purchased a 

 higher and more satisfactory grade 

 at no greater cost. 



A Joint Service 



Also, the department has con- 

 tinued at all times, to work In co- 

 operation with and under advice of 

 the authorities of the University of 

 Illinois. The farm advisers are 

 carrying out the latest research 

 findings and advice of research 

 authorities, thereby bringing about 

 a more intelligent use of limestone, 

 measuring the application to each 

 acre's needs. The work of the farm 

 advisers along this line cannot be 



overestimated. It has played a 

 large part in putting Illinois in its 

 present outstanding position in the 

 use of agricultural limestone. 



Since the inception of th-'s de- 

 partment Illinois has used an an- 

 nual tonnage ranging from 300,000 

 tons in 1920 to 925,000 tons in 1929 

 —the largest tonnage of agricul- 

 tural limestone ever used in one 

 year by any one state. This ton- 

 nage dropped to 750,000 tons in 1930 

 and approximately 300,000 tons in 

 1931, due to the big drop in the 

 farmer's buying power. 



During the ten years the I. A. A. 

 has had contract relations with 

 limestone producers, Illinois has 

 used a total tonnage of agricultural 

 limestone amounting to approxi- 

 mately 6,500,000 tons. During eight 

 years previous to the beginning of 

 our contract relations and super- 

 visional service, the total tonnage 

 of agricultural limestone used in 

 Illinois was only 1,714,000. 



Lower Prices Gained 



The I. A. A., through its Lime- 

 stone-Phosphate Department, has 

 kept in mind at all times, the ques- 

 tion of price per ton on agricultural 

 limestone, as well as the question 

 of freight rates. Much has been ac- 

 complished with both, with the re- 

 sult that Illinois is today able to 

 purchase limestone perhaps cheaper 

 per ton than any other state, tak- 

 ing into consideration the question 

 of supervisional service maintained. 



It would be hard to estimate the 

 savings in dollars and cents to the 

 Illinois farmer due to this service. 

 A differential in price to Bureau 

 members has been established. 

 During the year 1929, this saving 

 alone amounted to $37,500. The 

 savings represented by basic price 

 of agricultural limestone, as com- 

 pared with prices prevailing in 

 other states, was estimated at $180,- 

 000 in 1929 alone. This differential, 

 or discount, to Farm Bureau mem- 

 bers during 1930 amounted to more 

 than $30,000. 



Ground Pliosphate 



Organized buying of ground rock 

 phosphate began in Illinois early 

 in 1920. A branch office of the I. 

 A. A. limestone -phosphate depart- 

 ment was opened at Columbia, 

 Tennessee, in the phosphate field, 

 on March 15, 1920. This office re- 

 ported on shipments, rendered in- 

 voices, check tested, and looked 

 after the interests of Farm Bureau 

 members. 



At that time rock phosphate was 

 being sold on the basis of 13% 

 phosphorus and 90% through 100- 

 mesh screen (10,000 openings to the 

 square inch) at a price of $10.00 to 

 $10.25 f. o. b. mines in Tennessee. 

 These were the best prices avail- 

 able, and they were based on a 

 guarantee of buying 10,000 tons. 



After further negotiations, the I. 

 A. A. was able to contract for a 

 minimum of 20,000 tons at a price 

 of $7.50 per ton f. c. b. mines, in 

 Tennessee, with the understanding 

 and agreement that each and every 

 car was to be sampled and analyzed 

 by the I. A. A.'s own sampler and 

 chemist, and the shipping company 

 agreeing to accept settlement on 

 the results obtained by our own 

 chemist. 



During the remaining nine 

 months of this first year, 28,000 tons 

 were handled through the depart- 

 ment, a direct saving to the pur- 

 chasing farmer of $2.50 to $2.75 per 

 ton, or a total of more than $70,000. 

 New Plan Tried 



This same method of contract 

 dealing was maintained during the 

 next four or five years, but it soon 

 became evident that to produce 

 sufficient tonnage to permit the 

 producing companies to remain in 

 business, would require the efforts 

 of well-trained and highly efficient 

 salesmen. 



With this in mind, a new p>lan 

 was worked out whereby the I. A. A. 

 ceased to merchandise, but main- 

 tained a supervisional and advisory 

 service under which basis specifi- 

 cations were established and each 

 individual shipment was sampled 

 and analyzed and reported upon to 

 the customers by the I. A. A.'s own 

 employees. 



A small fee per ton to the I. A. A 

 on everything the contract com- 

 panies shipped into Illinois, was 

 agreed upon. This fee, however, 

 did not reflect itself in a higher 

 cost to the purchaser, as the plan 

 had a very great bearing upon the 

 elimination of sales resistance and 

 the contract companies were able 

 to sell much more phosphate per 

 salesman and per dollar of sales ex- 

 pense than they were able to do 

 otherwise. 



Under this plan, which has been 

 mamtamed since it was first in- 

 augurated, tonnage began to in- 

 crease, until in 1929 it reached" the 

 greatest tonnage ever supervised by 

 the I. A. A. in any one year. 

 Improves Quality 



At all times the I. A. A. has based 

 ts policies and activities on the 

 latest scientific and experimental 

 findings, until at the present time 

 the specification for fineness is 95% 

 through a 200 mesh sieve (40 000 

 openings per square inch) as com- 

 pared to 90% through a 100-mesh 

 fi^I^nn ^^^start. The fineness on 

 the 100-mesh sieve continued to in- 

 crease year to year until it finally 



fh.^n^lol °'' .^^ shipments more 

 than 99% and approximately 97% 

 ^HnT ^ I 20()-m^sh. This"^ finer 

 ?nl?« ^ ^^l ^"cr'eased production 

 costs somewhat, but it has very 

 much more increased Its value to 

 the farmer. The selling cost today 



SII^Lh/^^.u?''^"*^^- Increased 

 ?n^rilt, ''h*^^*^ P^°^"^* ^ould tend 



During the 12 years life of the 

 Limestone -Phosphate Department 

 (Continued on Page 4. CJoI. 6) 



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