-^ 



•ii 



■^ 



* 



* 



J. H. Davis 



J. S. Russell 



I'armer Cooperatives, predicted further 

 mechanization, fewer farms, fewer farm 

 tamilies, and surpluses of farm prod- 

 ucts. 



On the bright side, Davis saw greater 

 demands from the increased population 

 in the United States. World demand 

 also will remain high, he said. Lower 

 income people have had a taste of 

 richer iliets and are not likely to lose 

 their taste for meat. 



"Farmers are much better organized 

 than they were after World War I." 

 Davis said. "Our co-ops have kept the 

 cost ot marketing animals close to the 

 depression level. Through our co-ops 

 we can take the lead in developing 

 larger markets. They are responsive 

 to the farmer. They can set the price 

 in the farmer's interest. From these 

 views it can be seen that I am reason- 

 ably optimistic about the future of 

 American agriculture." 



Illinois members of the Chicago Pro- 

 ducers board of directors who,se terms 

 expired this year were reelected to 

 three-year terms. Tliey were Vice Presi- 

 dent E. R. Gehring, Knox county, and 

 William Temple. I.aSalle county. 



President Ted Funk expressed his 

 satisfaction with the record for the 

 past year, his first as head of the Chi- 

 cago Producers. Savings of SiO,323.-iO 

 in 19 i7 compared favorably with a net 

 operating loss of $-i2, -160.-11 in 19 46. 



PLAN NOW FOR 



k\m\ Spoit Festival 



THE ninth annual Illinois larm 

 Sports Festival will be held this 

 year on Aug. 26 and 2~ at its old 

 location on the lampus of the 

 University ot Illinois m Cham 

 paign-Urbana. 



These dates were set last month 

 during the first meeting of the admin- 

 istrative committee and announced hv 

 Otto Steffey, Stronghurst, Henderson 

 county, lAA tlirector and chairman of 

 the Festival. 



This year district elimination contests 

 may be held in the mass entry sport ^ 

 of bowling, and Softball, and possibly 

 the skeet and trap shoots and the folk 

 festival events. 



Plans for holding county and district 

 contests were discussed last month in ,i 

 series of county meetings. Many dc- 



May ] Deadline 



Ail teams of the Farm Bureau 

 Baseball League should be en- 

 tered with the state secretary, Rov 

 Johnson, lAA director of special 

 services, by May 1. Teams ma\ 

 enter up to June I provided the 

 member teams in the affected dis- 

 trict agree unanimously to such 

 entry. 



The Illinois Form Sports Festival administrative committee discusses clianges in plans for 

 the 1948 Sports Festival to be held at the University of Illinois. left to right: E. H. 

 Regnier, U. of i.; A. C. Johnson, Kane county farm adviser; R. H. Haley, U. of I.; Secretary 

 Roy Johnson; Chairman Otto Steffey; Mrs. Helen Turner, extension service; and Mrs. Alice 



Herron, extension service. 



tails will he worked out for the entire 

 Festival program when the state com- 

 mittee meets in Chicago early in April. 



Several events will probably be elimi- 

 nated this year since tew person^ 

 entered the contests. Knot tying, l-H 

 marching teams and 4-H dramatizations 

 will probably be dropped. 



Rural chorus competition will not be 

 held this year at the state festival il 

 plans are completed to hold district 

 I'olk FVstivals where participation and 

 competition points can be awarded. 



It is planned however to ask each 

 county chorus to be part ot a massed 

 state chorus on the Thursday evening 

 (Aug. 26) program. 



A similar event is planned for the 

 Friday (Aug. 2~) atternoon program 

 when each 1-H county chorus will be in 

 vited to join a massed state i-H ciiorus. 



Women's events will probably be eli 

 minated and instead divisions will be set 

 up in the various events for men. women, 

 rural youths, etc. 



Golf and tennis m.iy be added to the 

 calendar ol- sports events as well as mixed 

 teams in the 4-H and open division of 

 t ible tennis. In the Folic Festival C!on- 

 tests Rural ^'outh. open, and 4-H divi- 

 Mons may be addecl to the folk .\nd 

 M|uare dancing events. 



\'evv events have been added from ye.ir 

 to \ear One ot the reasons given for 

 these additions has been adv.uiied by Roy 

 loiuison, secretary of the Farm Spurts 

 Festival. Since the early days of tin 

 Festival the .ige ol Farm Hnreau nieni! crs 

 I'.is decreased. There are now a g'e.it ■ 

 number of niemlxTs less than 3*^ ye.irs of 

 .ige than thcTe were 10 ye.irs .!;:o. 



f^yer-< row ding ot many ol the events 

 •It the state Festiv.il l.isf ye.ir h.!s Ixcii 

 one OS the prmi ij\i! re.;siins L:ivei^ l<ir 

 holdiiiL: ir,(ire ciistriit c liiy.iiiirmn i on 

 tests. 



L.ist vc ir more than ^.n'li si.tM-.iII 

 players alone competed on ^.i:!irus 1 .ill 

 lii.inionds during the two-day lontests. 

 District iimtests wouK! elimi.'i.ite a 

 number of these plavers ;>etore the 

 state Sport I'estival vv.is held. 



District contests would aKo , ut down 

 on travel expenses and would balance 

 and increase partieipation in lountv 

 programs. 



APRIL, 1948 



