or 



nt Prac- 



IVlinimize^ 



mers 



, more satis- 

 and greater 



sions 



g, the voting 

 ption of our 

 During the 

 lave approved 

 placed it in 

 task not yet 

 measured by 

 ory. It will 

 ) the Associa- 

 ndpoint with 

 I as an order- 

 •ment for the 

 the best years 

 "armers. 

 t a study was 

 ntion of im- 

 ration of the 

 e the plan as 

 aperation and 

 ;fficiency and 

 ■sponsjbilities. 

 )ciation quite 

 {visions. Of 



Treasurer, 

 ition depart- 

 ed. The two 



Marketing 



'ision 



rtant division 

 cretary, serves 

 Under his 

 Organization, 

 ces and Pub- 



Tient has con- 



e, aggressive 



maintenance 



mnties in the 

 )perated with 

 ip in the As- 



K. RECORD 



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sociation reached a. new all time high of 

 145,851 at the close of the fiscal year. 

 This is 15,026 more members or an in- 

 crease of 11.4 per cent over the previous 

 year. This new record is both an en- 

 dorsement of the soundness of the As- 

 sociation's program and also a tribute 

 to the organization staff and the thou- 

 sands of loyal Farm Bureau members who 

 have served as volunteer workers. 



As our membership has grown, mem- 

 bership maintenance has become of great- 



The lAA Record is the largest single 

 project in the Publicity department. Pub- 

 lication costs have increased enormously. 

 No outside advertising has been accepted; 

 the major part of the cost, therefore, is 

 carried by your organization. The lAA 

 Record is one of the best magazines of 

 its kind in America and it is well read 

 and appreciated by the membership. 



Major activities of the Special Services 

 department included, the Illinois Farm 

 Sports Festival, the Illinois tour to the 



that the organization is in excellent finan- 

 cial condition and that, despite greatly 

 increased operating costs, further addi- 

 tions to reserves have been made during 

 the year. 



General Comptroller's Division 



Changes in the Comptroller's office 

 similar to those made in the Treasurer's 

 division have been completed. C. C. 



for Unfettered Prodnction 



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er and greater importance. A well 

 thought out plan for action has been 

 adopted by many counties. This plan, 

 where properly applied, has resulted in 

 marked increases in membership partici- 

 pation. We hope that all of the coun- 

 ties will place increased emphasis on 

 maintenance during the coming year. 



Emphasis on Youth Groups 



Work with Rural Youth groups has 

 continued to be a major project. The 

 board of directors has suggested that in- 

 creased emphasis be given these activities 

 during coming months. Among the 

 groups with which our organization 

 should work even more closely are Rural 

 Youth, Young Married Clubs, Boys' and 

 Girls' 4-H Clubs, Future Farmers, Future 

 Homemakers and Rural Scouts. The As- 

 sociation should also give serious con- 

 sideration to the early development of a 

 program of cooperation with local rural 

 churches and a program for developing 

 local community organizations. 



American Farm Bureau Federation con- 

 vention in California, the Farm Bureau 

 tent at the State Fair and the planning 

 for this convention and many other meet- 

 ings. The Illinois Farm Sports Festival 

 is one of the greatest rural athletic and 

 recreation events in this country. Par- 

 ticipation has increased to the point where 

 consideration must be given to some type 

 of district elimination procedure. 



General Treasurer's Division 



During the year the responsibilities 

 falling upon the General Treasurer were 

 relieved to some extent by the election 

 of a treasurer for the Illinois Farm Sup- 

 ply Company and also a treasurer for the 

 three insurance companies. R. A. Cow- 

 les, General Treasurer, continues in a 

 general supervisory and advisory capacity 

 to these companies as well as being the 

 active treasurer of the Association and 

 other affiliates. The Treasurer already 

 has presented the financial report of the 

 Association. I do want to emphasize 



Chapelle, General Comptroller, acts in 

 an advisor)' and general superv'isory ca- 

 pacity for the Comptroller of the Illinois 

 Farm Supply Company and for the 

 Comptroller of the three insurance com- 

 panies. One of the major responsibilities 

 of the General Comptroller is that of 

 budget building and budget control. 

 While the Association has received in- 

 creased income as a result of membership 

 growth, the added costs of operation have 

 more than offset these gains. In addition 

 the increase in membership has necessi- 

 tated an enlarged program of ser\'ice. 

 If the present general inflationary spiral 

 long continues, your organization will be 

 forced to increase its income or drastical- 

 ly curtail its services. 



General Counsel's Division 



Donald Kirkpatritk, as General Coun- 

 sel, directs the activities of the Legal 

 department and has general superv'ision 

 of the Transportation department. There 

 have been greatly increased demands for 

 the services of these departments during 



An inlormal moment before the speaking 

 program at the Farm Bureau presidents 

 and farm advisers luncheon. Left to right: 

 lAA Director K. T. Smith, Dean H. P. Rusk 

 of the College of Agriculture, former lAA 

 President Earl C. Smith, lAA President 

 Charles B. Shumon, and former lAA PresI- 

 dent Sam Thompson. 



JANUARY. 1948 



