M 



I. A. A. BECORD-^anuary, 1984 



Let s Have iviore 



Fun Along with 



Our Work 



By T. W. May, Farm Adviser, 

 Madison County, 111. 



MANY people wishing to see the 

 Farm Bureau strengthened 

 have expressed the opinion 

 that more should be done to develop 

 social and recreational activities 

 among farm people, and that our pro- 

 gram should be balanced to appeal to 

 the entire family. 



A number of Illinois Farm Bureaus 

 have been holding successful com- 

 munity meetings with programs de- 

 signed to interest farm people of all 

 ages. Folks will come to worth-while 

 and entertaining programs. A series 

 of seven meetings held this fall in 

 Madison County was attended by a 

 total of 2,600 people, from grandpa 

 down to the little tots (find 'em in the 

 picture). 



The equivalent of 2,606 years of 

 time which would otherwise be spent 

 in growing com, hogs and wheat will 

 be released to Illinois farm families 

 during the coming year alone as a re- 

 sult of the Government's agricultural 

 adjustment program, according to one 

 statistician. Recreation and leisure 

 are becoming a real possibility for 

 many farm families as the adjust- 

 ment program goes forvtrard. 



Farm life needs more social activity 

 and recreation. A controlled-crop 

 production, quoting Secretary Henry 

 Wallace, and a retreat from surplus 

 acres and surplus toil, will give the 

 whole family not only more money but 

 more time in which to live. Most farm 

 folks, once the opportunity is afforded, 

 will discover within themselves a wide 

 variety of stimulating and pleasant 

 things to do. County Farm Bureaus, 

 through their community leaders, 

 should be encouraging this new de- 

 velopment by enlarging their social 

 activities. 



Well-planned community meetings 

 can be a decided help in building Farm 

 Bureau membership. Non-members 

 and their families should be invited 

 and urged to attend; it is a lot better 

 for the organization for them to be 

 at the meeting learning what is going 

 on than just staying at home. A pro- 

 gram that will include recreation and 

 mix up the crowd after the talks are 

 finished can furnish an opportunity 



FARM BURBAU COMMUNITY MBiCTING MADISON COUNTY 



The whole family tariia •ut for an eTealmv of entcrtalnaBeat, recreation, and 

 information.. , . , ■--,,..,;■.. ...;, ■ 



for contacts between members and 

 non-members that is certain to lead 

 to a better understanding. Even when 

 there is no direct attempt to approach 

 the non-member on the matter of 

 membership (indeed this may often be 

 the better policy), he can not help be- 

 ing impressed by being with a large 

 crowd of enthusiastic folks who be- 

 lieve in organization. 



Most of us don't realize how few 

 opportunities our farm families have 

 to get together for good entertain- 

 ment and discussions of matters im- 

 portant in running their business. 

 Too many times we have taken for 

 granted that the women and children 

 would not care to listen to a farm 

 talk. Several of our visiting speakers 

 have had the jitters upon entering a 

 hall crowded with entire families, 

 later to become inspired by the uni- 

 versal interest and attention. The 

 meeting is better in every way if the 

 whole family is there, and the next 

 day when they all talk it over, what 

 one doesn't remember another will. 

 Isn't that better than, at the break- 

 fast table, "Well, Pop, did you learn 

 anything last night while we had to 

 stay, home?" 



Meetings should be carefully 

 planned in advance. Start on time, 

 and hold the program to an hour and 

 a half. The talks should be about 

 something of practical importance, 

 with a few good licks for organiza- 

 tion, agricultural adjustment, and the 

 extension program. Then have some- 

 thing for the folks to do after the 

 program; don't just get up from the 

 seats and go home. Have some kind 

 of recreation, depending upon what 

 the community wants, that will keep 

 the people there and get them better 

 acquainted with each other. Use local 

 talent on the program, with occasional 

 outside speakers of ability. Arrange 

 programs that will pack 'em in, and 

 tell the papers how many attended, so 

 the stay-at-homes will know that 

 "somebody is interested in this Farm 



McLean County Wins 

 National A. F. B. F. Trophy 



The McLean County Farm Bureau 

 was awarded the custody of a hand- 

 some loving cup and a check for f 100 

 for having the largest membership of 

 any county Farm Bureau in the 

 United States. The record for McLean 

 county showed a total of 1,507 paid up 

 members on Nov. 1. Los Angeles Co., 

 California, was a close competitor 

 with 1,501 members. McLean county 

 now has 2122 members, according to 

 Farm Adviser Laible, with more than 

 1700 in good standing. The silver 

 trophy will become the permanent pos- 

 session of the county winning it three 

 times. Los Angeles County won last 

 year's contest and San Joaquin Coun- 

 ty, California, wbn in 1930 and 1931. 



The contest for the honor of a Farm 

 Bureau having the greatest percentage 

 of farmers in the county enrolled went 

 to Nassau County, New York, for the 

 second successive year. But of the 579 

 farmers in that county, 457 are mem- 

 bers of the couiTty Farm Bureau, or a 

 percentage of 78.9. Ventura County, 

 California, was second with 651 farm- 

 ers enrolled, out of 1,656. The prize in 

 this contest is a cup which becomes 

 the property of the winning county. 



To August Berger, of Jasper, Indi- 

 ana, went the honor of being the 

 champion membership solicitor. Mr. 

 Berger, a voluntary worker, signed up 

 152 members. Sidney Smith of Alta- 

 mont. New York and Walter Arm- 

 strong of the same place were tied for 

 second place, with 128 memberships. 

 The prize is a handsome medal and a 

 trip to the American Farm Bureau 



Federation convention. 



' — 



Bureau business and we might as well 

 find out what it is all about." 



Let's develop the social possibilities 

 of our organization, for in so doing 

 we can help all the other projects, and 

 have some good times, too. 





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