MEMBERSHIP PASSES 160,000 



"W 



HEN you adil up the score, 

 it is difficult to understand 

 how any farm tamily can 

 afford to be witliout mem- 

 bership in tlie I'arm Bu- 

 reau. " That's the concluding paragraph 

 in an editorial from the Dan\ille Com- 

 mercial-News (see opposite page). 



Looking at Farm Bureau with the im- 

 partial eye of an outsider which has 

 worked with farmers and their organiza- 

 tions for many years, the Danville Com- 

 mercial News has come to a conclusion 

 whicli can scarcely be ignored by any 

 farmer. 



Farm Bureau is Illinois' most powerful 

 farm organization. It is the organization 

 that goes to bat for all the farmers of 

 Illinois. It is the farm organization that 

 keeps a sleepless eye on all legislative 

 acts that affect the farmer. 



We have known for many years that no 

 farm family could afford to be without 

 membership in Farm Bureau. But we 

 have felt, too, that .some people can't be 

 rushed into these things. It takes time. 

 But we have known all along that once a 

 non-member farmer knew all the facts on 

 what Farm Bureau stands for, it wouldn't 

 be long before he would sign up. 



This has been borne out in the mem- 

 bership records when compared through 



losing team captain Cetll F. Burt pays off 

 after recent Crawford county membership 

 drive by riding donkey around the court- 

 house square at Robinson, Police Chief 

 Norman Richards gives Burt a ficlcet for 

 operating without a license and overloading 

 the donkey. Tfie drive put Crawford mom- 

 bershlp over the 1,000 mark. 



the years (see graph). The last official 

 tigure released by Organization Director 

 O. D. Brissenden shows that Illinois Ag- 

 ricultural Association-Farm Bureau mem- 

 bership has for the first time crossed the 

 160,000 mark. As of Jan. .SI member- 

 ship was 161,568. 



The lAA board of directors last Oc- 

 tober set a membership goal of 165,000 

 for Sept. 30, 19*9. Speaking on the suc- 

 cess of the county membership drives 

 held throughout the state in the past few 

 months, Brissenden said he felt sure the 

 goal would be re.iched as the halfway 

 mark was passed. 



The Januar)' membership drives again 

 am.ized even the most veteran campaign- 

 ers. Areas which heretofore had been 

 considered "mined out " were yielding 

 rich returns. Clinton reported 102 new 



members in its drive; Madison, 153; 

 Macoupin, 108; DeKalb, 120; Crawford, 

 107; Richland, 117; Edgar and Effing- 

 ham, 122 each; 'Vermilion, 180; Pike, 

 121; Tazewell, 131; and Iroquois, 222. 



County organization directors pulleii 

 every trick out of the hat to keep the 

 membership drives before the public. 

 Many of them pulled stunts befitting 

 high-priced public relations men. Down 

 in Richland they enlisted the aid of four 

 mayors to assist with the drive. In Craw- 

 ford county the Farm Bureau drive wa- 

 kcpt before the public even after it wa^ 

 officially over when the losing team cap 

 tain, Cecil "The Lone Ranger" Burt rotli 

 his trusty (?) steed, a donkey, around thi 

 courthouse square. 



From every section of the state tii' 

 story was the same. Farmers are mor. 



Here are three may- 

 ors wiio toolc parf i'^ 

 Richland county's re- 

 cent Farm Bureau 

 membership d r I v e ■ 

 Mayor t. G. Miller of 

 OIney (left) shovii 

 iiow iie signed wj 

 eight new members 

 loolcing on are Mayo' 

 MyrI MIchels of Cof- 

 houn and Mayor Boni- 

 face Ochs of String 

 town. 



I. A. A. RECORD 



