II.- i^ 



7/ 



Top: r. H. Ifojrd/ confer, new lAA director, Macoupin county, chat< with 

 folks from his dlstrttf at AfBf convention. Left, H. C. Irwin, Chrlntlan, and 

 right, L. J. Todt, Monigomery. Center: B. 1. Hornbeck, right, lAA auhtant 

 director of organization, received award certificate made to llllnoh lor 

 reaching its "two million member" goal for the second year from AfBf 

 Secretary Wilfred Shaw. Bottom: lAA delegate* to AfBf convention, 

 front row, left to right, Elliott, Hughes, Oumm, Pretldent Shuman and 

 VIce-Pretldent MorrU. Back row, McKee, Webb, laton, Stefley and Curtltt. 

 K. T, Smith was absent when picture was made. 



{Continued from preceding fiage) 



amendment of the Hojje-Aiken Bill (Agricultural Act 

 of 1948) which would fix a continuing rigid 90 per tent 

 support," Stassen said. 



The former governor of Minnesota gave three reasons 

 for his position. With rigid 90 per cent supports, he 

 said, the only way to keep surpluses of some crops from 

 breaking the entire program would be through detailed, 

 regulated production by the government. Such supports 

 also would encourage centralization of farming with 

 larger units and result in the gradual disappearance of 

 the family-sized farm. Rigid supf>orts would also lead 

 to more regulation, growing resentment from the people 

 and failure of the farm program. 



"While I strongly advocate price supports, I urge that 

 there should remain a degree of flexibility to permit the 

 natural laws of supply and demand to have some effect 

 on farming practices. 



"And by that same safeguard, we can insure a better 

 measure of future public support for agricultural pro- 

 grams and a greater freedom for those who are on the 

 soil," Stassen explained. 



Secretary of Agriculture Charles F. Brannan in his ad- 

 dress to the convention also had something to say about 

 price supports. 



He said that while he believed in price supports as an 

 important part of the farm program they were only one 

 part. When other parts of the program worked well 

 the problem of supporting prices was not so hard. If the 

 farmer can get fair prices in the market place without ac- 

 tually using the support program, so much the better, 

 Secretary Brannan said. 



He also asserted that, "I consider it my job to help ob- 

 tain and maintain parity at all times. If there is to be 

 any downward adjustment to the national economy, we 

 are not going to start this time with the farmer . . . We 

 must make very sure that the farmer is not made the 

 goat." 



Secretary Brannan declared that the position of the 

 American Farm Bureau Federation on farm legislation 

 will be of great interest to him and to millions of people. 

 Each farm organization, he said, has an important part to 

 play in the work that lies ahead. 



Just before the convention opened, President Truman 

 sent a message to all delegates in which he declared that 

 "only when farmers have confidence in their markets and 

 in their farm programs can the nation expect continua- 

 tion of record crops." He addressed his message "Fel- 

 low Members of the Farm Bureau." 



President Charles B. Shuman of the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association was re-elected to the board of directors 

 of the American Farm Bureau Federation as a repre- 

 sentative of the middle western region. In this same re- 

 gion, Curtis Hatch, Dodgeville, Wis., was elected to the 

 board to succeed Frank W. White of Minnesota. 



Mrs. Raymond Sayre, Ackworth, Iowa, was elected 

 president of the Associated Women of the Federation. 



Sen. Arthur Capper of Kansas received the Federa- 

 tion's gold medal for distinguished service to agriculture. 

 Senator Capper retired from the Senate after 30 years of 

 service. The gold medal award has been given every 

 year since 1929 to leaders who have performed outstand- 

 ing services in advancing the well-being of farm people. 



One of the stirring scenes of the convention was the 

 minute of silent tribute paid to the memory of Vernon C. 

 Vaniman, of Illinois, midwest organization director for 

 the Farm Bureau who died suddenly Nov. 30. 



(Continued on page JO) 



L A. A. BECORD 



.'■-4. 



