This It port of the fine herd of pure-bred Jerseys of which the McKees are fustly proud. 

 Form buildings are In background. 



HOG FARMING 



PRINCIPAL INTEREST 



By JIM THOMSON 



Ass't Editor, lAA RECORD 



Editor's Note: This is the third of a 

 series of articles to further acquaint you 

 with the men who represent you on the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association board of 

 directors. 



IF THERE is anything you don't know 

 about hog raising you might ask Rus- 

 sell V. McKee, member of the lAA board 

 of directors from the I6th Congressional 

 <listrict and president of the Illinois Farm 

 Bureau Serum Association. From ex- 

 perience, he probably knows the answers. 



Principally a hog farmer most of his 

 career, he often has raised close to 900 

 porkers a year. For the past 20 years he 

 has averaged 600 annually on his 230 

 acre farm (80 acres rented) southwest of 

 Varna in Marshall county. 



McKee came to the lAA board in 

 November, 1945 succeeding Albert Hayes 

 of Chillicothe. He represents the follow- 

 ing counties: Peoria, Tazewell, Stark, 

 Bureau, Marshall and Putnam. 



Continuing with his hog-raising pro- 

 gram, McKee farms today in partnership 

 with his married son, Bert. Besides the 

 hogs, which are cross-breds from pure- 

 tred boars, they also are proud of a 

 sleek, healthy herd of pure-bred Jersey 

 •cows numbering 12-16. 



The lAA director from the l6th Con- 

 gressional district was born in Richland 

 township in Marshall county and has 

 lived in that area practically all of his 

 life. 



He attended Washburn grade and high 

 schools and spent part of a year at the 

 University of Illinois College of Agri- 

 culture before returning home to help 

 with his father"? farm. 



In 1908 he was married to the former 



20 



lAA Director McKee keeps abreast of farm 



affairs by reading official Farm lureau 



publicirtions. 



Qara Buckingham of Woodford county 

 and went into farming for himself. 

 When the Marshall-Putnam County Farm 



Bureau was organized in 1919, McKee 

 became a charter member. 



Consistently active in the interests of 

 Farm Bureau, McKee was elected a di- 

 rector of his county organization in 1929, 

 later serving as secretary-treasurer, vice 

 president and finally as president in 1938. 

 He served as president uritil elected to 

 the lAA board. 



During his tenure as president of the 

 Marshall-Putnam County Farm Bureau, 

 membership rose from about 900 to more 

 than 1200. Membership now is about 

 1400. 



Besides serving as president of the 

 Farm Bureau, McKee found time to di- 

 rect the activities of the Marshall-Putnam 

 Oil Company as president. He was also 

 president of the Marshall-Putnam Locker 

 Service and served as an AAA com- 

 mitteeman five years. 



He was elected to the Illinois Farm 

 Bureau Serum Association board in 1934 

 and became president in 1937. McKee 

 was a rural school director for 15 years 

 until his children, Bert, and Mrs. Verna 

 Wasson, now of Loveland, O., were 

 graduated, when he resigned. He also 

 is active in the Christian Church at Wash- 

 burn. 



Following the family tradition, Bert 

 is now a director of the rural school and 

 the local high school. Bert is also a 

 member of the county school survey com- 

 mittee. 



Sensible and efficient, the McKees are 

 firmly loyal to their Farm Bureau organ- 

 ization and are ready and willing to adapt 

 themselves to newer and better methods. 



They follow a four-year crop rotation 

 scheme. After experimenting with three- 

 year rotation, they returned to the four- 

 year plan — corn, oats, and mixed clover 

 or alfalfa — as the more practical. Beef 

 cattle haven't been raised on the McKee 

 place in 15 years. 



All of the land has been limed and 



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<* 



While his son and grandson look on, lAA Director McKee takes a turn at the corn planter. 



' : ■ L A. A. RECORD 



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