sJl* •' ^ '%•« -.^ 



Rural Youthen from 

 various Illinois coun- 

 Has disembaric from 

 the Admiral at St. 

 louis following excur- 

 sion trip in 1947. The 

 department of young 

 peoples activities is 

 offering assistance 

 with these trips. See 

 story en this page. 



RURAL YOUTH 



Rural Youth groups over the state soon 

 will be making excursion trips on Lake 

 Michigan and the Mississippi River. The 

 office of Young People's Aaivities can be 

 of service in providing boat or train sched- 

 ules, and in coordinating county plans for 

 tours with transponation companies in St. 

 Louis or Chicago. If we can be of assist- 

 ance, please notify. 



THESE spring days remind us that growing 

 plants are pushing from the soil and rapid- 

 ly reaching toward the sun. From the soil 

 they draw the chemical elements necessary for 

 growth and it is there they anchor and estab- 

 lish themselves to do the job peculiar to their 

 natures. From the sun they receive light which 

 gives the power of photosynthesis, making 

 possible marvelous chemical processes within 

 the plants. 



There is a parallel process in plant produc- 

 tion to the life of Rural Youth members and 

 their organizations. Just as the growing plant 

 is related to soil and sun, just so are Rural 

 Youthers related to the local organization and 

 its activities and to the larger Rural Youth 

 programs and organizations of district, of the 

 state, and of the nation which are sponsored 

 by Farm Bureau. County organizations, pro- 

 grams, and activities are basic to Illinois Rural 

 Youth. It is there that individuals and groups 

 are anchoring themselves to serve rural life. 



But the individual and the local group are 

 not self-sufficient. If they are to have the de- 

 velopment which is rightfully theirs, they need 

 the light which Farm Bureau programs and 

 Farm Bureau groups outside the county can 

 give them. 



The Midwest Training School of the Ameri- 

 can Farm Bureau Federation will be held in 

 St. Paul, Minn., June 27 to 30. Rural Youth 

 delegates from nearly all the states of the 

 Midwest, as well as national committee mem- 

 bers from various other states, will be present 

 in a youth conference. In December another 

 Rural Youth conference will be held at At- 

 lantic Qty as part of the annual meeting of 



E. D. Lyon, director young people's activities 

 lAA, explains details of district, state, and 

 national activities of Rural Youth to Peoria 

 county members Dorothy McCullough and 

 Walt Joes, and Assistant Farm Adviser, 

 George Kemp (right), after addressing the 

 Peoria group on this subfect at a recent 

 guest night meeting. 



the AFBF. These two youth conferences will 

 effectively discuss problems of Rural Youth 

 organizations. Each Rural Youth group in 

 Illinois should send at least one delegate to 

 these meetings. Anyone who has the privilege 

 of attending will return a better informed 

 person and a better Rural Youth member. If 

 a thorough and clear report is given to the 

 local group, and if new ideas are geared in;o 

 action programs, there is no question about 

 the value of such meetings for all in attend- 

 ance. 



By ELLSWORTH D. LYON, Director 



Young People's Activities 



The lAA 1948 annual meeting will be held 

 in Chicago Nov, 15 to 18. Each county should 

 be represented by at least one boy and one 

 girl at each lAA annual meeting with its 

 talk fest, youth conference, skilled drivers' con- 

 test, delegate breakfast, and all the various 

 general sessions, as well as the annual meet- 

 ings of the cooperatives. Then if delegates 

 would use the information gained by incor- 

 porating it in monthly programs. Rural Youth 

 in Illinois would soon take a bigger place in 

 supplying well informed county Farm Bureau 

 leaders where a number of former Rural 

 Youthers are now making a good name for 

 themselves as Farm Bureau county board 

 members, and as members of boards of co- 

 operatives. 



The lAA board of directors has already 

 approved a short course for Rural Youthers 

 at the home office for 1949. As in January 

 of this year, each county will be permitted to 

 send one delegate. The young men in at- 

 tendance this year have been highly enthusiastic 

 in their praise of this program for Rural 

 Youth. We who are trying to serve Illinois 

 farm families greatly appreciate the interest 

 shown by all who enrolled for the short 

 course. 



District activities are very much a part of 

 the work of the lAA. Rural Youth talk fests, 

 such short courses as "Battling Brucellosis," 

 skilled drivers' contests, and now sports festi- 

 val events are available for farm youth at 

 various times of the year on the district level. 

 They are close enough to county groups for 

 convenience in attending; yet they bring to- 

 gether the varied programs, and provide oppor- 

 tunity for the sharing of experiences for compe- 

 tition and for educational material for guiding 

 rural young people in rural living and in rural 

 community leadership. 



Other activities outside the county could be 

 mentioned, but the above suggest the many 

 possibilities which Rural Youthers now have 

 to enlarge their experiences. The combination 

 of good county programs and the programs of 

 Farm Bureau on the national, regional, and 

 district levels should provide growing experi- 

 ences for Illinois farm youth. In fact, good 

 planning on the county level will include these 

 wider and far reaching influences for the train- 

 ing of young farmers and farm leaders. Rural 

 Youthers, keep your feet in the county soil 

 but reach up for information. Such a com- 

 bination will result in the fruits of personal- 

 ity growth and leadership development. 



County Activity 



South Cook planned thoroughly for their 

 educational meeting on "Battling Brucellosis" 

 held at Blue Island April 20. Dr. C. D. Van 

 Houweling, director department of Veterinary 

 Medical Relations lAA, county veterinarian 

 Dr. C. B. Hosteller, and a local medical doc- 

 tor, discussed this highly important subject 

 with the south group. 



Wabash went all out for a thorough dis- 

 cussion of syphilis and gonorrhea. Present 

 to lead them in their discussion were the 

 county health nurse and the local medical doc- 

 tor. 



Madison has just closed a big membership 

 drive. They hope to hold the large addi- 

 tional membership by a more active program 

 in the future. Coming up will be a com- 

 munity service project in leading recreation 

 for annual meetings for various cooperatives 

 in the counties. Wilbur Klueter is the presi- 

 dent. 





L A. A. RECORD 



MAY. 



