J/^ 



Prominent figures in their relations with Illinois agriculture are shown on the spealcers' 

 platform during Wednesday evening session. 



The resolutions authorized the of- 

 ficers and directors of the lAA to spon- 

 sor and promote one or more confer- 

 ences of leaders of agricultural, indus- 

 trial, labor and financial organizations 

 in order to establish better understand- 

 ing and as a means of promoting full 

 production. 



As far as national agricultural pol- 

 icy is concerned, the Farm Bureau be- 

 lieves that laws now on the books, 

 which provide some protection to 

 farmers against loss of income due to 

 factors outside their control, is basical- 

 ly sound and must not be abandoned. 

 The Farm Bureau opposes any change 

 in the existing parity formula. 



The Farm Bureau favors a continued 

 and increased emphasis on conserva- 

 tion of the soil in all its phases, based 

 on complete coordination of all federal 

 and state soil conservation activities 

 in the county and continued through 

 the cooperation of and as the respon- 

 sibility of the farmers of each county. 

 It believes that the county program 

 should be built on the basic principles 

 of wise land use and good farming 

 practices. This program should fit 

 into a coordinated state program and 

 insofar as possible should be planned, 

 administered and financed by the co- 

 operating farmers. 



Along with a good soil conservation 

 program, the Illinois Farm Bureau 

 urges the adoption of a national soils 

 fertility policy and program to assure 

 farmers greatly increased supplies of 

 high analysis mineral fertilizer, par- 

 ticularly phosphorus and potash. Such 

 a program is needed, it was pointed out, 

 to pay back to the soil the nutrients 

 extracted by crops and erosion, and 

 thus assure the people an abundant 

 supply of nutritious food. 



President Shuman also declared that 

 "the nation cannot expect farmers to 

 preserve and build up its soil resources 

 for the use of future generations un- 

 less it is willing to give some definite 

 assurance to producers that they will 

 receiye adequate prices for their prod- 

 ucts." 



On taxation of cooperatives, the Il- 

 linois Farm Bureau believes that the 

 Earnings of cooperatives which are re- 

 tained and not distributed as patronage 

 dividends to members should be sub- 



ject to the same tax treatment as funds 

 so retained within the corporation 

 structure. Cooperative earnings re- 

 turned to members as patronage divi- 

 dends should not be taxed since such 

 income is now subject to tax as the 

 income of the individual member of 

 the cooperative. The Illinois Farm 

 Bureau is ready to support such 

 changes in the internal revenue law so 

 that there will be income tax exemp- 

 tion or deduction from taxable incomes 

 on only that portion of cooperative 

 earnings on member business which 

 is distributed to their members and 

 patrons. 



This is the major part of the pro- 

 gram of the Illinois Farm Bureau on 

 a national level. Other resolutions on 

 the national level are printed on ac- 

 companying pages of this issue of the 

 lAA Record. Supplementing the reso- 

 lutions is President Shuman's annual 

 address which also is printed in full. 



On the state level, the Illinois Farm 



Al Dault thrills the audience by climbing 

 to a precarious perch near the ceiling. 



Bureau is committed to sponsorship 

 and support of state legislation neces- 

 sary to continue to secure state funds 

 for the improvement of farm-to-high- 

 way roads and to permit townships 

 and road districts to combine into 

 larger units for road and bridge im- 

 provement and maintenance. 



The Farm Bureau will sponsor state 

 legislation to clarify and simplify the 

 100 per cent assessment law and make 

 the tax rate limitation more effective 

 and require local units of government 

 to use uniform budget forms.- 



In the matter of rural schools, dele- 

 gates recommended legislation provid- 

 ing that state financial aid be with- 

 drawn from administrative grade 

 school districts with fewer than 10 

 pupils, and from high schools with 

 fewer than 10 pupils per grade. The 

 resolution on this matter covers other 

 points and deserves careful study by 

 the membership. 



Farm Bureau support was promised 

 for a state appropriation for a new 

 home economics building at the U. of 

 I., and legislation will be sought re- 

 quiring aircraft owners and operators 

 to submit proof of financial responsi- 

 bility before being allowed to operate 

 an aircraft in Illinois. Another resolu- 

 tion outlined the Farm Bureau's posi- 

 tion on the federal Illinois River flood 

 control plan. 



Earl C. Smith, past president of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association, and 

 former vice-president of the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation, delivered as 

 outstanding an address to the con- 

 vention as he has ever made to a 

 Farm Bureau audience. His address 

 is printed in full in this issue of the 

 lAA Record. 



President Edward A. O'Neal of the 

 AFBF extended greetings to the con- 

 vention and said, "If other groups would 

 work as hard and produce as abun- 

 dantly as farmers do, there would be 

 no need to worry over this country's 

 future." 



Romeo Short, president of the Ar- 

 kansas Farm Bureau, told the conven- 

 tion that "farm organizations have 

 been victims in the great shell game 

 to keep farmers divided, first by states 

 and then by commodities. Farmers 

 know now that they are interdepend- 

 ent." 



Many important conferences and as- 

 sociated meetings were held in con- 

 junction with the annual meeting. 

 Members will find these fully covered 

 in other pages of the Record. 



Dr. Ray Freeman Jenney, minister 

 of the Bryn Mawr Community Church, 

 Chicago, gave a truly inspirational ad- 

 dress before the convention. He said 

 that because of the discovery of atomic 

 energy today we stand before the open 



< • 



I. A. A. RECORD 



