11 



AS FARMERS 

 FORWARD GO ' 



By O. D. Brissenden, Organization Director 



THE drive that put Farm Bureau mem- 

 bership in Illinois over the 100,000 

 mark at the lAA annual meeting is still 

 going strong as evidenced from reports 

 coming in from County Farm Bureau 

 annual meetings. 



Here's an example: when Moultrie 

 county held its annual meeting Dec. 16, 

 it had 799 members, or one short of its 

 goal, so Tom Wright, COD, went out 

 and got that 800th member. Moultrie, 

 of course, was over its 100,000 goal at 

 the time of the lAA annual meeting. 



DuPage county is shooting for a goal 

 of 1200 members and at its annual meet- 

 ing, Dec. 15, had only 12 more to go. 

 Probably by the time this issue of the 

 Record is off the press that 1200-mark 

 will be history. 



Kankakee County Farm Bureau at its 

 annual meeting Dec. 11, presented a 

 membership report that's worth noting. 

 Here are a few figures: in 1934 Kanka- 

 kee had 300 Farm Bureau members with 

 235 paid up, and in 1943, the member- 

 ship was 1130 with 1098 paid. Inci- 

 dentally, the Kankakee Farm Bureau dis- 

 tributed an attractive annual report, 

 utilizing the cover scheme of the organ- 

 ization worker's kit in the recent 100,000 

 campaign. Inside pages of the cover, 

 both front and back were occupied by an 

 honor roll of the members' boys and 

 girls in the services, with special recogni- 

 tion being given to those who have made 

 the supreme sacrifice. 



Due to limited space in the annual con- 

 vention issue of the lAA Record some of 

 the reports of outstanding individual ac- 

 complishments in the 100,000 campaign were 

 held over until this month. Even a 60-page 

 issue devoted exclusively to these accom- 

 plishments would be insufficient to tell all 

 of the story, but here are a few highlights 

 reported to the organization director's of- 

 fice. 



Effingham county went over its quota 

 in the campaign by three, and high men 

 were Clarence Wilmeth with 12 new mem- 

 bers, and Glen Percival with seven. A. C. 

 2Uegler, COD, reports that in five sections 

 of Lucas township in Effingham county 

 every acre of land is covered by a Farm 

 Bureau membership with the exception of 

 one 80 acre farm. The tenant on this place 

 has indicated he will join the Farm Bureau 

 in the near future. 



In Macoupin county, Arthur Mansholt, 



signed 14 members by himself and helped to 

 sign two more. Elmer Loehr signed 10 

 members, and Herb Mieher signed eight 

 new members and his township was the first 



to go over its goal for the 100,000 cam- 

 paign. 



In Ford county, E. B. Radliff, who is 



serving his first term as director, had nine 

 new members to his credit in addition to 

 some assists. F. W. Tieken, COD, says 

 "Our membership committee men are more 

 determined than ever to answer critics of 

 farmers and their organization by building 

 a stronger organization." 



your sons and my buddies return to us, we 

 will have proof that we did everything 

 within our power to help them finish the 

 big job over there as speedily as 'possible. 



M. H. Austin, Whiteside COD, reports 



that a final checkup shows his county had 

 9 members over its quota in the 100,000 

 campaign. "Our total membership now 

 starids at 1741, which is 298 more than one 

 year ago." 



"Teamwork, persistence and seeing pros- 

 pects put Grundy county over the 100,000 

 quota. Directors, members and employees 

 all did their part," says William L. Stein- 

 beck, COD. High man was Director Adolph 

 J. Burk, who alone signed eight new mem- 

 bers. 



As an ex-soldier, this is what Harold 



Neal, Peoria county organization director, 

 has to say about the 100,000 member goal 

 attainment. "What 100,000 Farm Bureau 

 members means to me! It means that when 



Here are some comments taken from the 

 lAA annual meeting that are worth record- 

 ing in the annals of organization history. 



W. H. Smith, Woodford county, pioneer 

 Farbi Bureau member, — "This is one of 

 the happiest days of my life. I was one of 

 the first Farm Bureau workers. I started in 

 Lake county in 1919 helping to build the 

 membership that this organization now has. 

 So many things have been accomplished we 

 never thought about at that time. I want 

 to say that being here with this organiza- 

 tion today makes me very, very happy. 



Every Farmer in This Township a Member! 



Every Berea township iarmer a Morgan County Farm Bureau member. That's the 

 record of these organiiation workers cmd new members. Standing, left to right: Harold 

 Stewart, township chairman; Lester Martin, Farm Bureau director of township 16-9; 

 Homer Butler, new member; Fred Hagen, township director: lohn Leahy, new member; 

 Don Huston, 4-H club leader. Seated, left to right: Clarence Duncan, new member, and 

 Albert Nail, a tireless worker for the Farm Bureau. 



EVERY farmer in the township a 

 Farm Bureau member! That's 

 something of a record and it's just 

 what the folks in Berea township, Mor- 

 gan county have accomplished. Mem- 

 bers in the township have always felt 

 that it could be accomplished and 

 started out this fall with the spirit of 

 "Now Is The Time," and a dream came 

 true. 



When asked what formula was used, 

 Don Huston, 4-H club leader and 

 worker, replied, "When we explained 



what the Farm Bureau was doing and 

 what it had accomplished for every 

 farmer in the land — well they just 

 said — 'Sure I'll sign.' " 



The workers are pretty much agreed 

 that information brings understanding, 

 and understanding in this case creates 

 a desire to help and be a part of a 

 great movement. 



Township Chairman Harold (Bud) 

 Stewart says, "Our quota now is, 'Hold 

 That Line.' " 



l-X 



16 



I. A. A. RECORD 



