By JIM THOMSON 



Ass't Editor, lAA RECORD 



Headline illustration sliows lAA Director K. 



T. Smitli getting ready to weigli in some of 



liis Hereford calves. Tliey averaged about 



600 pounds. 



Sides working on the phone lines, he 

 helped grade his township roads. 



From liis experience and training, he 

 is pretty well grounded in the fundamen- 

 tals ot engineering. He often uses his 

 engineering instruments and neighbors 

 like to have him around on such occa- 

 sions as when they are installing drainage 

 tile. In ly-iO he supervised a drainage 

 census in 76 Illinois counties. 



Engaged in general farming most of 

 his life. Smith has specialized somewhat 

 in stock feeding. As a young man he 

 rented as much as 360 acres but today 

 he owns 160 which he operates with the 

 help of a hired man. The hired man 

 lives on the farm. The Smiths moved 

 to the outskirts of Greenfield several 

 years ago. 



Throughout his farming career, K. T. 

 has been closely connected with Farm 

 Bureau. He helped organize the Greene 



WHEN the lAA director from the 

 20th congressional district was 

 born, his aunt who lived with the 

 family was disappointed. Her 

 heart had been set on a baby girl. 

 She even had a name ready — Katherine. 

 But the name didn't fit. All he got was 

 the initial. So if you have wondered 

 about K. T.'s first name, that's the story. 

 He hasn't any. The letter "T" is for 

 Taliaferro, a family name. Down in 

 Greene county he is widely known as 

 "Trot" but that's another story. 



In recent years, K. T. Smith has done 

 much for Farm Bureau as a member of 

 the legislative committee and chairman 

 of the public relations committee of the 

 lAA. So perhaps it wasn't such a bad 

 thing after all that his aunt was dis- 

 appointed. 



As director of the 20th district. Smith 



Director Smitli is shown with his collection of 

 Indian arrowheads which he has gathered for 

 a number of years. Here he shows Mrs. 

 Smith how the redmen fashioned a stone ax. 



has represented Mason, Cass, Menard, 

 Brown, Pike, Morgan, Scott, Calhoun, 

 Jersey, and Greene counties since 1934. 

 He is the second oldest director, in point 

 of service, on the lAA board. 



During the past several years, he has 

 spent a great deal of time in Springfield 

 with other members of the lAA legisla- 

 tive committee attending legislative ses- 

 sions and committee hearings, besides 

 continually explaining to individual law- 

 makers the Farm Bureau point of view 

 on legislation affecting farm people. 



Director Smith was born and reared on 

 a farm near Greenfield in Greene coun- 

 ty 2 miles north of the farm he now op- 

 erates. He attended local schools and 

 entered the University of Illinois in 1908 

 to study civil engineering. In his third 

 year at the University ill health caused 

 him to quit and he went to western Texas 

 to supervise a farm owned by his father. 

 It was a livestock and cotton ranch in 

 the range country. 



The following winter, 1911-12, he 

 took a business course in Amarillo,* Tex., 

 and returned to the home farm in 1912. 

 He was married to the former Mary Met- 

 calf of Greenfield in 1914. 



Father Smith owned a rural telephone 

 system so K. T. had the job of super- 

 vising a telephone construction and re- 

 pair crew for a number of years. Be- 



This is the ) 2lh of a series of articles 

 to further acquaint you with the men 

 who represent you on the Illinois Agri- 

 cultural Association board of directors. 



Shaded area on mop shows the 20th Con- 

 gressional district which is represented on 

 the lAA board of directors by K. T. Smith 

 of Greenfield. 



county unit, became a charter member, 

 and played a leading part in member- 

 ship drives. During more than a quarter 

 of a century he has served on the county 

 board of directors, he has traveled the 

 20 miles to meetings at CarroIIton on 

 horseback, by buggy, train, and auto- 

 mobile. At present he is treasurer of 

 the Greene County Farm Bureau. 



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I. A. A. RECORD 



