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By JIM THOMSON 



Ass't Edftor, lAA RECORD 



HE hated to give up his fine herd 

 of Holsteins. But the lAA di- 

 rector from the 15th district felt 

 that 25 years was long enough 

 to milk cows. It was time to 

 take life a little easier. Besides, his son 

 Jack, 20, was cool to the idea of being a 

 dairy farmer. He would rather raise 

 hogs and fatten cattle. 



So early this past winter Ed Gumm 

 sold his dairy herd. Then he resigned 

 as president of the Illinois Milk Pro- 

 ducers' Association, the strong, statewide, 

 farmer-controlled producers' bargaining 

 organization. 



But Ed hasn't given up the job of 

 working for better living conditions on 

 the farm. Not as long as he is a member 

 of the board of directors of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association. On the board 

 since November, 1946, he represents the 

 counties of Henry, Knox, Fulton, Schuy- 

 ler, and Adams. 



The 753-acre Gumm farm lies on a 

 flat, fertile plain three miles south of 

 Galesburg in Knox county. It was here 

 that Director Erwin Gumm was born and 



WMi sen Jock, 20, lAA Director Edwin Gumm 

 tends to tlie millclng. He has since given up 

 dairying. 





reared, on a farm that has been in the 

 family 75 years. 



He attended rural school and graduated 

 from Galesburg high school. Later he 

 finished a commercial course at Brown's 

 Business College in Galesburg. He took 

 up the study of law at John B. Stetson 

 University at DeLand, Fla., but left a 

 year later to join the army during World 

 War I. 



After nine months service in France 

 he returned home and went into the dairy 

 business. In 1923 he was married to 

 Janet Chapman of Knox county. The 

 Gumms have two children. Son Jack 

 was discharged from army service several 

 months ago and has decided to make a 

 career of farming. Daughter Dorothy, 

 21, was graduated in home economics 

 from MacMurray College in Jacksonville 

 in January. She is now employed in 

 "The CofFee Shop" at the University of 

 Illinois in Urbana. 



Ed is pleased with his son's decision 

 to stay on the farm. He feels pretty 

 strong about the need for well-trained, 

 intelligent, young people on Illinois 

 farms. "Agriculture needs these young 

 people," he says. "Farm Bureau is just 

 what we make it; and an enlightened, in- 

 telligent crop of young farmers under 

 the banner of Farm Bureau can help to 

 assure agriculture of a bright future." 



Gumm hasn't been exclusively a dairy 

 farmer. In typical past years he marketed 

 about 100 hogs and fed about 100 beef 

 cattle. Last fall he had 75 head of 



This is the 15 th in a series of articles 

 to further acquaint you with the men who 

 represent you on the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association board of directors. 



Headline illustration shows Director Oumm 

 and son Jocic operating com picker en tlw 

 '....r ,. . Gumm farm. 



stock cows, 70 calves, and 23 yearlings. 

 The dairy herd averaged 50 head. Thirty 

 to 40 were milked daily. 



Cropping on the Gumm place averages 

 about 100 acres in corn, 75 in soybeans, 

 100 in oats, 35-40 in alfalfa, 50 in 

 clover, and 25 in wheat, about 320 

 acres are in permanent pasture. 



Rotation follows this general plan: 

 corn, corn, oats or soybeans, alfalfa or 

 clover. Wheat has been grown for bed- 

 ding and two years ago averaged 52 

 bushels to the acre. 



The entire farm has been limed, and 

 a continuing plant food program calls 

 for the application of phosphate to 40 

 acres of the land each year. 



Ed Gumm joined the Knox County 

 Farm Bureau when he went into farm- 

 ing. In 1929 he became a director. For 



Shaded area on map is ISth district repre- 

 sented on the Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion board of directors by Edwin Gumm of 

 Galesburg in Knox county. 



the past four years he served as vice 

 president. A leader in. milk producer 

 circles in his home area, he helped 

 organize the Galesburg Pure Milk Asso- 

 ciation 14 years ago. He served as the 

 organization's first and only president 

 until last year. 



Besides being president of the Illinois 

 Milk Producer's Association for the past 

 two years, Gumm has served on its 

 board since its organization in 1933. He 

 has been president of the Knox- Warren 



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