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STUDY REPORT 



A DETAILED study of the economic 

 problems facing Illinois agricul- 

 ture has been completed by the 

 Economic Study Committee of the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association. 

 The printed report, including the con- 

 clusions of the committee, is now avail- 

 able to Farm Bureau members. Copies 

 may be obtained at county Farm Bureau 

 offices or by writing to the lAA Record, 

 43 East Ohio Street, Chicago 11, Illinois. 

 A preface to the report by President 

 Charles B. Shuman with the approval of 

 the board of directors, reads as follows: 

 "The board of directors of Illinois 

 Agricultural Association presents here- 

 with the complete and final report of the 

 Economic Study Committee for the study 

 and consideration of the membership of 

 the Association. The work and report 

 of this Committee, which was appointed 

 by the board of directors, was a com- 

 pletely independent study and has not 

 been altered. This report has not been 

 approved or disapproved in whole or in 

 part by the board of directors or voting 

 delegates of the Association. The pur- 

 fxjse of this Committee and its report is 

 to stimulate independent thinking and 

 discussion among Illinois farmers on na- 

 tional farm policy. 



"Illinois Farm Bureau leaders and 

 members know that the past and present 

 policies of the organization have always 

 been determined by the membership and 

 they will insist that the future course of 

 the Association be determined in the 

 same manner. 



"These members and leaders will also 

 recognize that, while the report of this 

 Committee is in substantial agreement 

 with the position of the Association on 

 most of the present important issues con- 

 fronting agriculture, it does seriously con- 

 flict in some instances with policies of 

 the organization as they have been de- 

 termined by the vote of the membership 

 in recent annual conventions. The board 



of directors is convinced that fair con- 

 sideration of any controversial question 

 can be given only after all viewpoints 

 have been examined. 



"The Economic Study Committe has 

 made a valuable contribution towards a 

 better understanding and a clarification 

 of fundamental economic principles and 

 issues involved in the agricultural prob- 

 lem. If farmers throughout Illinois will 

 give careful study to this report, they 

 will certainly be better prepared to take 

 a position of leadership in developing and 

 improving national programs affecting 

 agriculture." 



Work of the Economic Study Commit- 

 tee extended over a period of 12 months 

 during which time 10 meetings were held 

 covering 13 full days. A sub-committee, 

 elected to prepare a preliminary draft of 

 the report, held four additional all-day 

 sessions. The report is 81 pages long 

 and contains 16 charts and one illustra- 

 tion. 



The Committee offers its version of 

 the farm problem and from there pro- 

 ceeds to analyze its causes and the many 

 suggested cures, and concludes with its 

 own recommendations. 



Following is its introduction to the 

 problem: "The most important and per- 

 sistent problem of farmers in the United 



States during the last 30 years has been 

 that of violent fluctuation in the general 

 level of farm prices and income. Alter- 

 nate periods of rising and falling prices 

 have been a principal cause of farmers' 

 incomes and living standards being con- 

 siderably lower than those of the rest 

 of the nation." 



In the report foreword, the Committee 

 says: "Some of these changes may appear 

 to be rather drastic, but we believe they 

 are necessary in order to take advantage of 

 our experiences with previous farm pro- 

 grams and the growing knowledge of 

 basic factors which aflfect prices of farm 

 products and the income of farmers, 

 and to permit a maximum of agricul- 

 tural progress. In making these recom- 

 mendations the Committee has attempted 

 to keep the welfare of the entire nation 

 foremost in mind at all times." 



The Committee concludes: "We are 

 glad to have had the opportunity to study 

 this important problem as a committee. 

 We hope that our work and this report 

 will be helpful to the leaders of the Il- 

 linois Agricultural Association and to 

 farmers generally in formulating and se- 

 curing a national farm program that will 

 maintain farm income at satisfactory 

 levels, promote general economic sta- 

 bility, and maintain traditional economic 

 and political freedom in America." 



Original members of the lAA Economic 

 Study Committee assemble In Chicago for 

 their first meeting. L to R., standing: 

 Leslie Mathers, Mason City; W. A. Dennis, 

 Paris; Alfred RIster, Omaha; Russell Hayes, 

 Sparta; B. C. Fulling, Palestine; Homer Cur- 

 tiss, Stockton; J. S. Bumgomer, McMabb; F. 

 E. Morris, Buffalo; front row: K. T. Smith, 

 Greenfield; Gerald Waters, Edinburg; John 

 Hanna, Sr., Geneseo; Ernest D. Lawrence, 

 Danvers; Earl KIrlcpatricIc, Roseville; Otto 

 Steffey, Stronghurst; E. E. Houghtby, Shab- 

 bona; Leo Knox, Morrison; and Stanley 

 Castle, Alton. Not in the picture are: G. O. 

 Fairweather, Barrington; Lyman Bunting, 

 Ellery; Earl M. Hughes, Woodstocli; Harry 

 Munch, Argenta; Everett C. Phelps, Rockton. 

 Subcommittee members were Morris, Den- 

 nis, Hughes, Knox, and Lawrence. 



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COPIES ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON REQUEST TO FARM BUREAU MEMBERS 



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L A. A. RECORD 



