ED It or I al 



To the New Member 



A CORDIAL welcome to the thousands of progressive 

 Illinois farmers who, during the past few months, 

 have aligned themselves with their neighbors in the 

 Farm Bureau! Their decision has strengthened organized 

 agriculture in Illinois and in the nation, in this fateful hour 

 when not only the issues of war, but the issues of the years 

 to come, are in the process of decision. 



Not only have they thus joined forces for the long 

 range of welfare of agriculture, but they have placed them- 

 selves in a position to benefit materially from the many 

 services built up through the years by Farm Bureau, and 

 now made available to them. No new member should 

 overlook this immediately practical side of his investment 

 in organization. 



It has been said that acquaintance, understanding and 

 participation are three stages through which the member 

 should pass in order to derive full satisfaction from his 

 Farm Bureau connection, and to build the loyalty to the 

 organization which assures its permanence. And even the 

 first of these steps — acquaintance — is quite an under- 

 taking. The officers, directors and employees of the county 

 Farm Bureau, and of its subsidiaries, are always glad to 

 give information and assistance to the new member. 



There are vitally important educational services, spon- 

 sored both locally and through the Extension Service. Some 

 of these have to do with farm management and farm ac- 

 counts, soil improvement, swine sanitation, poultry care, 

 grain experimentation, livestock tours, the farm labor serv- 

 ice, and a host of others. Others have to do with the so- 

 called commercial services: such as those of the county 

 Service Company, which handles petroleum products, 

 paints, feed, and other farm supplies cooperatively, and at 

 cost. Or the insurance services, life, auto, employers' liabil- 

 ity, fire, hail, windstorm, etc., again all handled at cost. Or 

 the Farm Bureau serum and virus service. There are others 

 too numerous to list here. Then on the side of marketing, 

 there are cooperatives in every field: milk, cream, Uvestock, 

 grain, fruit and vegetable, etc. These are all money-saving 

 and money-making projects. It will pay the new member 

 to investigate them, and to use those which fit in with his 

 farming operations. 



Many counties issue printed or mimeographed lists of 

 available services for the information of their members. 

 The new member will do well to ask for such a check-list, 

 in order that he may, as quickly as possible, "get the pic- 

 ture " of the great organization of which he has become a 

 part. 



To get the most immediately practical value out of 

 your Farm Bureau membership, investigate the services, 

 and use those that meet your needs. You will find that "it 

 pays to belong." 



N' 



Ne'w Leadership Develops 



'O ONE who has had contact with the activities of the 

 younger Farm Bureau members, or with Rural Youth, 

 can be pessimistic about the future leadership of agri- 



culture in Illinois. Younger groups have, in many in- 

 stances, taken a leading part in the recent organization 

 drives — and in a majority of cases have signed more new 

 Farm Bureau members than their seniors. This participa- 

 tion is an indication of the new strength which the men in 

 the age group from about 25 to 40 are bringing to or- 

 ganized agriculture. Another encouraging fact is that many 

 younger men are assuming their places on boards of di- 

 rectors, and as the sponsors of various Farm Bureau activ- 

 ities. The serious discussions of the Rural Youth groups, 

 including the Talk Fests, where young people speak their 

 mind on issues confronting farmers, suggest that in this 

 still younger group, some dynamic leadership is preparing 

 for its future responsibilities and opportunities. 



Young people, by very virtue of their age, have even 

 more at stake in the future of agriculture than their parents. 

 Their participation in Farm Bureau activities, and their 

 serious thought on present and future problems, is the best 

 guarantee that the future will be a good one. 



Amending the State Constitution 



RECOMMENDED for careful reading in this issue of 

 the lAA Record is the statement by the Illinois Ag- 

 ricultural Association board of directors on the calling 

 of a convention for revision of the Illinois state constitu- 

 tion. It clearly outlines the position of the Association on 

 this controversial issue which has received considerable 

 attention during recent days in the newspapers of the 

 state. 



The statement of the lAA board indicates beyond a 

 doubt that the Association is not taking a negative position 

 on amending the state constitution, but that it believes the 

 calling of a constitutional convention at this time would 

 not accomplish the desired objective. 



The Association believes that the main job is to get 

 the state constitution in shape so that it can be amended. 



Under the present state constitution, the General 

 Assembly may submit amendments to only one article at 

 the same session and the favorable vote of the majority 

 of those voting at the election is necessary for the adoption 

 of the proposed amendment. 



No amendment submitted in recent years has been 

 adopted although the Gateway Amendment, submitted in 

 1932 received the favorable vote of 80 per cent of those 

 voting upon the proposal. The proposed amendments 

 have been defeated by people who voted in the general 

 election, but who failed to vote on the proposed amend- 

 ment. 



The Association is in favor of a Gateway Amendment 

 which would permit the General Assembly to submit 

 amendments of not more than three articles at the same 

 session and would provide that the amendment should 

 be adopted upon receiving the favorable vote of two-thirds 

 of those voting on the proposed amendment. Such a pro- 

 posal would not make amendment of the constitution easy, 

 but it would make it possible. With such an amendment, 

 the most urgent problems could be worked out. ', - 



L A. A. RECORD 



