Here Are Two Ex-GI's 

 Who Have A Good 

 Chance To Enjoy a Rich, 



PROFITABLE 

 FARM LIFE 





See l/.'e Mtiile on preiediii^ P^^*^ f"'' 

 it. II! Jar J s for suiceisjiil jjrni l/fe. 



THE big problerti for Ralph Lammlc. 

 26, who farms near Fisher, lay in 

 finding a farm to rent. Farms are 

 at a premium in this rich corn and 

 soybean country. This was solved when 

 he bought out his father who had been 

 on the same rented farm for 3^^ years. 



Lammle spent between six and seven 

 thousand dollars in livestock, maciiinery. 

 and grain. His father backed him. He 

 also received help under the GI bill as 

 a self-employed veteran. This entitled 

 him to a maximum of S'JO a month. 



Two years of bumper crops and high 

 prices have put Lammle on top finan- 

 cially. His GI classes have given him a 

 chance to mix with other young farmers 

 and learn new ideas quickly. 



Ralph has farming on his mind so 

 strongly it wakes him up in the middle 

 of the night," his wife. Darlcne, a pretty 

 city girl from (Chicago Heights, said re- 

 cently. 



Young Lammle is lean, hard, and 

 quick. In the army he advanced from pri- 

 vate to a first lieutenant platoon leader in 

 a light tank outfit. He saw months of 

 hard fighting, was wounded once, fought 

 from Normandy across Furope to Ger- 

 many. 



The biggest change Lammle has made 

 since he took over has been to switch to 

 a three year corn-oats-hay rotation. He 

 plants on the contour even though his 

 land slopes \ery gently. 



Other changes. Lammle contemplates, 

 most of them first discussed in the GI 

 class at Fisher, include an expanding live- 

 stock program. 'iO acres planted to the 

 new Mindo oat variety. 20 acres of la- 

 dino-alfalfa-brome pasture, hay stored in 

 wire bins shaped like a silo ( lor air 

 drying and curing.) 



Top. Ralph Lammle 

 proves ex-G.I. farm- 

 ers aren't just loof- 

 ing. Here he is busily 

 hauling manure with 

 help of brother Henry, 

 right, plus two trac- 

 tors, spreader, and 

 loader. Bottom. Wayne 

 and Ann M e i s t e r 

 proudly show Mar- 

 shall Scott, left, voc. 

 ag. teacher at Fisher, 

 littei of 14 Yorkshire 

 pigs from registered 

 sow. 



WAVNF Aleister, 2h. wlio also farms 

 near Fisher, was resting in his 

 bunk in a quartermaster outfit here 

 in the states ( iie never got across)*, 

 paging through a copy of a midwest farm 

 magazine, when he lit on an artkle about 

 raising ^'orkshire hogs. 



"Right then I got interested. I gLicss 

 I must have been tired of so many people 

 around always sounding off!" 



Meister had e\er\'thing against him 

 He had little farm experience, was reared 

 in the city, and didn't have the money to 

 make a start. His immedi,ite problem 

 w.is to learn the intricate business ol 

 farming. 



His wife. Ann. caiTK; to the resuic. 

 She grew up on a farm and her tathcr 

 was willing to help. 



When they started on the 100 .u re. 

 farm near I'isher owned by Ann's father 

 they "re.illy pioneered ". at lea-t as I'.ir 

 as Ann is concerned. The house, sin.ill 

 and in poor repair, had no convenienas 

 except electricity. 



Young Meister. a hu^kv six-tontc. 

 started from scratch. He his learned al- 

 most all he knows .ibout farmint; from 



iliL til oii-lhe )ob Irajning i Liss in 1 ishcr 

 and from his fatlier-m-Iaw, an expe- 

 rn.ni.ed tarmcr. 



Ann and \\a\ne now have a herd of 

 60 ^■orkslllres, .i baion breed popular in 

 { anada. whi^h Meister believes will grow 

 in numbers in this country. 



.Meister plans to iOiKentr.i1c oij his 

 hog enterprise. His sows are all from 

 advanced register\' stixk and are entered 

 in the Illinois Swine Herd Improvement 

 Association. 



He got his batkiiig t mm his f.ither- 

 in-law who employs him on .i rtruLir 

 salary, the pay being in feeii grains r.ither 

 than Lash. I'rom his GI i lasses .Meister 

 got his ideas tor row tropping ami inn- 

 tour farming. He is also siartiii:: on a 

 three year rotation, still new on man\ 

 Lorn belt farms. 



Meister praised the w.u the GI -, li,> -[ 

 has been directed at I'lsher b\- .M.:rv''ull 

 Istott. the \<xalion.i| .ii:ri. ultur.il liich 

 sihool teacher there. .Mei-tf fc.ls. .is 

 do many xeter.uis. that the publu i^ iilV.n 

 unaware of the value veterans lr,i\L rc- 

 teived Iriim well-run GI J.isst^. 



JUNE, 1948 



13 



