Warn of Dangers to 



'Shackled Agriculture' 



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ET'S do a better job in Farm 

 Bureau," was the theme of the 

 23rd annual Midwest Farm 

 Bureau Training School held 

 last month at Custer State Park 

 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. 



Also keynoting the meeting was the 

 feeling expressed by Farm Bureau leaders 

 that there is danger in depending too 

 much on government to keep agriculture 

 prosperous. 



More than 2,300 farmers and farm 

 women, and Farm Bureau organization 

 and information men from 12 Mid- 

 western states were present for the three- 

 day sessions. It was the largest meeting 

 in the history of the training school and 

 more than double last years attendance at 

 St. Paul. 



Sessions were held in the shadow of 

 Mt. Rushmore where the likenesses of 

 Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roose- 

 velt, and Lincoln are carved in the granite 

 mountain-side. 



"Farmers," said Ransom Aldrich, presi- 

 dent of the Mississippi Farm Bureau and 

 one of the principal speakers, "are too 

 complacent." He suggested that Mid- 

 western farmers in particular take a 

 keener interest in federal legislation. He 

 was of the opinion, however, that this 

 was easier said than done, and that it 

 required strong leadership and an exten- 

 sive educational program to keep the 

 membership well-informed. 



Most of the Farm Bureau speakers were 

 outspoken in their opposition to the Bran- 

 nan farm plan which proposes to keep 

 market prices high to farmers and food 

 costs low to consumers. Mrs. Charles W. 

 Sewell, administrative director of the As- 

 sociated Women of the American Farm 

 Bureau, dismissed the Brannan plan by 

 saying "The only thing they forgot was 

 to pass out tickets for this circus." She 

 compared it with the cheap food, heavy 

 taxation, and circuses which were con- 

 tributing factors to the downfall of the 

 Roman Empire. 



Discussing the Brannan plan, Ray B. 

 Wiser, president of the California Farm 

 Bureau, said: "In no other country are 

 farmers so free. Let us stay clear of the 

 shackles of government. Let us be wary 

 of the dangers that lie in sacrificing op- 

 portunity and freedom for imagined se- 

 curity." 



Howard Hill, president of the Iowa 

 Farm Bureau, spoke on the importance of 

 good leadership in Farm Bureau. Quality, 

 he said is more important than quantity. 



Farm Leaders Attack Brannan Plan Before Largest 

 Crotvd ever to attend a Midwest Farm Bureau 



Conference \ 



Leadership must be capable, optimistic in 

 the belief that the job can be done, and 

 well-informed. But regardless of the 

 quality of leadership. Hill said, it will 

 bog down without the support of the 

 membership. He listed the faults of 

 leadership which cause the greatest havoc 

 to an organization as ( 1 ) lack of informa- 

 tion (2) complacency, and (3) lethargy. 

 He suggested that the leadership qualities 

 of Farm Bureau women be used to a 

 greater extent. 



Hammering away at the importance of 

 keeping the membership informed, Roger 

 Fleming, director of the AFBF Washing- 

 ton office, said that unless farmers know 

 the essential differences between a volun- 

 tary farm organization and government 

 farm organizations like PMA, we are 

 headed for trouble. 



"Never apologize for Farm Bureau," 

 was the advice of O. D. Brissenden, Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Association organization 

 director. "It has served the farmer and 

 the nation well. Farm Bureau is of vital 

 importance to farmers," he said "for four 

 reasons: (1) it makes more efficient 

 farmers, (2) develops farm leadership, 



(3) increases farm bargaining power, and 



(4) gives the farmer a voice in state and 

 national policies affecting agriculture. 



"Membership in Farm Bureau," Bris- 

 senden said, "has been easy to get in 

 recent years but the time is at hand when 



it won't be so- easy. So now is the time 

 to get your membership to become a par- 

 ticipating membership. Get them to take 

 part in Farm Bureau affairs." 



In his address of welcome, the gov- 

 ernor of South Dakota, George Micbe!- 

 son, praised the record of Farm Bureau 

 and advised the farmers of the nation to 

 "keep economic freedom for yourselves 

 and others in our society." He said 

 America needed Farm Bureau and that 

 history has proven that "Farm Bureau is 

 sound." 



William P. Sandford, public speaking 

 instructor from St. Louis and former em- 

 ployee of the lAA, demonstrated the tech- 

 nique of selling Farm Bureau membership 

 by several methods. 



The training school also included a 

 conference of Midwest Farm Bureau pres- 

 idents and secretaries which was attended 

 by lAA President Charles B. Shuman and 

 Vice President Floyd Morris. 



Illinois tounty organization directors wafch 

 lAA atthtant organization director Charlet 

 S. Moyfield (left) put up file Illinois ex- 

 hibit of file Midwesf farm Bureau Training 

 School at Custer, S. D. in fronf of stair 

 Is f. I. Hathbun, Mercer. Left to right, 

 along rail are: Clifford Briggs, Logan; J, 

 C. Hoyt, Tazewell; Jerry Blanchard, Chris- 

 tian; Meredith Johnson, Peoria; and Edward 

 Sutter, Woodford. At back Is O. H. John- 

 son, Montgomery. 



I. A. A. RECORD 



