Vohim* 37 . 



Numbw 3 



rabnrary, 1949 



The Record 



OmCIAl PUILICATION 

 THE lUINOIS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION 



To advance the purpose for which the Farm Bureau was organized, namely, 

 to promote, protect and represent the business, economic, social and educa- 

 tioml interests of the farmers of Illinois and the Nation, and to develop 

 agriculture. 



OFFICERS 



CHARLES B. SHUMAN, Sullivan. President 



FLOYD E. MORRIS 

 Vice-President 



PAUL E. MATHIAS 

 Secretary 



ARTHUR F. SCHUCK 

 Treasurer 



GEORGE E. METZGER 

 Field Secretary 



CLARENCE C. CHAPELLE 

 Comptroller 



DONALD KIRKPATRICK 

 General Counsel 



BOAKD OF DIKECTORS 



Lyman Bunting, Ellery ; Thomas H. Lloyd, Girard ; Lester S. Davison, 

 Minonlc ; Homer Curtiss, Stockton ; J. Kmg Eaton, Edwardsville : C. J. 

 Elliott, Streator; John T. Evans, Hoopeston ; Edwin Gumm, Gaiesburg ; 

 Earl M. Hughes, Woodstock; Chester McCord, Ne»-ton ; Russell V. 

 McKee, Varna; K. T. Smith, Greenfield; Otto Steffey. Stronghurst; 

 Frank L. Simpson, Farmer City ; and Albert Webb, Ewing. 



DIVISION HEADS 



George E. Metzger, Organization 8t Information ; L. L. Colvis, Market- 

 ing; I. E. Patett, General Services; Paul E. Mathias, Building, Records, 

 and Personnel ; Arthur F. Schuck, Treasurer's office ; C. C. Chapelle, 

 Comptroller's office; and Donald Kirkpatrick, General Counsel. 



DEPARTMENT HEADS 



Frank M. Atchley, Research ; O. D. Brissenden, Organization ; G. W. 

 Baiter. 'Transportation-Claims ; John K. Cox, Rural School Relations ; 

 C. J. Foster, Publicity; R. E. GiiK Soil Conservation Activities; George 

 H. Iftner, Grain Marketing; Roy P. Johnson Special Services & Office 

 of the Building; C. B. Johnston, General Office: Donald Kirkpatrick, 

 Legal ; Ellsworth D. Lyon, Young People's Activities ; Judson P. Mason, 

 Dairy Marketing; CuUeo B. Sweet, Rural Road Improvement; S. F. Rus 

 sell. Livestock Marketing; W. E. Scheer, Persoimel; and Bert Vandervleit, 

 Property Taxation. 



ASSOCIATE COMPANY MANAGERS 



C. H. Bedcer, Illinois Farm Supply Company ; Sam L. Hassell, Illinois 

 Grain Terminals Companjr ; Forrest C. Fairchild, Prairie Farms Creameries ; 

 Darrell L. Acheobach, Country Mutual Fire Company ; Judson P. Mason, 

 lU. Milk Producers' Assn. ; R. S. McBride, lUmois Fruit Growers Ex- 

 change J Howard McWard, III. Grain Corporation ; C. F. Musser, 111. 

 Farm Bureau Serum Assn.; J. L. Pidcock, 111. Co-op Locker Service; A. 

 £. Richardson, Country Life Insurance Company ; Dale Rouse, Ilhnois 

 Wool Marketing Assn. ; C. E. Strand, Illinois Agricultural Audit- 

 ing Assn. ; H. W. Trautmano^ Illinois Livestock Marketing Assn. ; and 

 F. V. Wilcox, Country Mutual Casualty Company. 



EDITORIAL STAFF 



Crestoa J. Foster 



Editor 



James C. Thomson 

 Ass't. Editor 



Editorial Office 



43 East Ohio, Chicago U 



The Illinois Agricultural Association RECORD is published monthly 

 ky the Illinois Agricutural Association at 1701 W. Washington Road, 

 Mendota, 111. Editorial Offices, 43 East Ohio St., Chicago 11, 111. Entered 

 as second class matter at post office, Mendota, 111., Sept. 11, 1936. 

 Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided in Section 412, 

 Act of Feb. 28, 1925, authorized Oct. 27, 1935. Address all com- 

 munications for publication to Editorial Offices, Illinois Agricultural 

 Association RECORD, 43 East Ohio St., Chica^. The individual mem- 

 bership fee of the Illinois Agricultural Assocation is five dollars a year. 

 The tee includes payment of fifty cents for subscription to the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association RECORD. Postmaster: Send notices on Form 

 3578. Undeliverable copies returned under Form 3579 to editorial offices 

 43 E. Ohio St., Chicago 11, III. 



THf STATE FARM RUREAU PUBLICATION 



'Gold Bricks' 



H 



Chariaf B, Shumon 



By President C. B. Sbuman 



AVE YOU EVER been tempted to buy a "sure thing?" 

 Gold mining stock, oil leases, Florida real estate, 

 lottery tickets or other "gold bricks." The lure 

 of getting "something for nothing" 

 is age old in its temptations and de- 

 lusions. Farmers are not gullible; 

 they know that for everything they 

 get they must give something in re- 

 turn. This rule applies to the favors 

 and guarantees of government as 

 well as to those from any other 

 source. 



TODAY FARMERS are being 

 tempted with another sure thing. 

 It is imperative that we examine 

 the various price support proposals carefully. 



SUPPOSE YOU WERE asked, "Do you want the gov- 

 ernment to support farm prices at 90 per cent of par- 

 ity?" The easy but thoughtless answer would be "yes." 

 However, most Illinois farmers will want to weigh 

 well the consequences of going the route of hi^, 

 rigid government fixed prices. What does it involve? 

 IF WE TURN TO government for high support prices, 

 then we must be prepared for rigid crop controls to 

 protect the government from heavy financial loss that 

 would result from excessive production and surpluses. 

 Experience with the potato support program proves 

 that taxpayers will not permit die expenditure of bil- 

 lions of federal monies to destroy our surplus crops — 

 surpluses that would certainly come with unlimited 

 production at a high guaranteed price. 



OUR EXPERIENCE with acreage controls during the 

 thirties demonstrated that they didn't cut production 

 to any great extent. The only way to make a 90 per 

 cent of parity price guarantee program effective would 

 be through the imposition of marketing quotas on 

 every type of crop and livestock enterprise in America. 



THIS WOULD MEAN that each farmer would be 

 visited annually by a federal government agent and told 

 exactly how many pounds of grain, livestock, milk and 

 other crops that he would be permitted to sell during 

 the year. Heavy fines or prison terms would await 

 those who ignored these orders. A vast army of secret 

 agents would be needed to police six million independ- 

 ent farmers. 



IN ENGLAND, under a similar plan to regulate all 

 farm production, repeat violators of the quota rules are 

 forced to leave their own farms in favor of more "co- 

 operative" operators selected by government agents. 

 There is another danger that should be considered. 

 It is quite possible that a 90 per cent of parity govern- 

 ment support price would prove to be a ceiling as well 

 as a floor and result in drastically reducing farm income 

 during years of short production. Before we accept 

 this 90 per cent gold brick it would seem wiser to 

 consider some alternate plan. 



{Continued on page 30) 



FEBRUARY. 1949 



