American Agriculturist 
THE FARM PAPER THAT PRINTS THE FARM NEWS 
“Agriculture is the Most Healthful, Most Useful and Most Noble Employment of Man .”—Washington 
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. 
Established 1842 
Volume 114 
For the Week Ending July 26, 1924 
Number 4 
The Great Challenge of the Times 
An A. A. Wednesday Evening Radio Talk Broadcast from WEAF 
By DR. C. E. LADD 
Director of Extension, New York State College of 
Agriculture 
F OR three years. New York State farmers 
have been going through a period of 
depression. Food crops bring the pro¬ 
ducer only 18 per cent, above the pre¬ 
war price. These same crops bring the wltole- will cease to appeal to the young men as a life 
saler 40 per cent, above the pre-w r ar price, and at \ time business? We need the best efforts of all 
retail are sold for 50 per cent, above the pre-war farmers and men interested in farming in meeting 
price. The spread between producer and con- this problem. If we are to meet the challenge, 
sumer has increased until the price received by the we must do it ourselves. We cannot depend 
producer is only a small proportion of the retail upon State or Federal Governments, colleges or 
price of that food, while the wages paid for institutions, although all of these will be helpful, 
services in transporting, wholesaling and retailing The guidance and the final decisions must be 
the food amount to a very large proportion of the made by farmers. 
[retail price. Seemingly, city wages and city The farmers of this State have attacked their 
industries have gained much in pros¬ 
perity and agriculture has been left 
behind to occupy a position relatively 
much less profitable than was its 
position before the war. 
This condition is not the fault of 
any particular class of people, but 
rather the result of over stimulated 
production in a great industry made 
up of a large number of small in- 
dependent business units which are 
not well enough organized to adjust 
their production to market demands. 
Our fathers or grandfathers farmed 
through similar conditions in the 
80’s and 90’s. Then, beginning about 
with the new century, we had fairly 
prosperous times on farms for a 
twenty year period or up to the year 
1920-21. Now, American agricul¬ 
ture and New York State agriculture 
is faced with this challenge. Can it 
emerge within a short time from this 
period of depression and again become 
established upon the basis of 1900- 
1920, when it was possible for the 
efficient farmer, on a fairly good farm, ■ —- 
to maintain a good standard of living 
for his family, educate his children, pay for the 
farm within a reasonable length of time and 
maintain or improve the producing power of the 
farm? Or, must we go through another genera¬ 
tion of hard times as did our fathers? 
We have to meet this problem on equipment 
which the farmers of the 90’s did not have, for 
within the past fifteen years, we have developed 
and built up great agricultural extension and 
cooperative agencies. To-day, we have a farm 
bureau organization and a county agricultural 
agent in each of the 55 agricultural counties of 
the State, home bureaus in 37 counties and boys’ 
and girls’ club work organized in 22 counties. 
We have a large College extension staff of men 
and Ayomen, who are constantly at the service 
of the farmers whom these organizations serve. 
In addition, we have in the State a number of 
State-wide cooperative marketing or purchasing 
associations organized on a commodity basis, 
owned and controlled entirely by farmers and 
secondary to those of no other State in efficiency. 
None of these agencies were in existence in the 
period from 1880-1900. 
We have this new equipment, these new tools. 
With them, we must meet the challenge. Can 
American agriculture maintain its standard of 
living? Is farming as a business to become so 
unprofitable that again for a whole generation it 
They Also Farm with Overcast Skies” 
“IS FARMING as a business to become so unprofitable 
* that again for a whole generation it will cease to 
appeal to the young men as a lifetime business?” This 
vital question is asked by Dr. C. E. Ladd in his radio talk 
printed on this page, and as he suggests, the best efforts 
are needed of all farmers and men interested in farming in 
meeting this great problem. 
There have been few times in American history when the 
farmer has had to meet the challenge that faces him to¬ 
day. But on the other hand, as Dr. Ladd states, “ no 
other generation has ever had the machinery of organiza¬ 
tion for meeting the great problem that we have to-day.” 
Always back of the overcast skies and discouragement, 
back of the machinery and other agencies for correcting 
evil, stands the man himself, the American farmer who 
has always won through undaunted, and who will come 
through this time. In fact, there are signs that the dawn 
is already at hand.— THE EDITORS. 
problems best and fought most effectively when 
the road was rough and the going was hard. Let 
the dairymen go back to the fall of 1916 and 
recall that one of our greatest and most effective 
cooperative associations flourished and developed 
with amazing rapidity because of opposition. 
Farmers do not farm in fair weather only. They 
also farm when the skies are overcast and the rain 
falls. Farming is not only an occupation; it is'a 
mode of life. Our fathers or our grandfathers met 
much this same problem and many of them solved 
it and many more of them failed to solve it. 
We must make the greatest use of our farm and 
home bureau system and our cooperative associa¬ 
tions. They cannot perform miracles, they can¬ 
not change economic laws but they can use 
economic laws and, if they function as they should 
function, then they can make conditions on farms 
very much better than conditions would be with¬ 
out these organizations. These organizations are 
not perfect and they will not be perfect for many 
years, but they can serve us greatly and they are 
being constantly improved by constructive work. 
During the past year mistakes have been found, 
faced squarely, presented to the members frankly 
and corrected. In this period of rapid develop¬ 
ment it was inevitable that mistakes should 
occur. The very hopeful sign is that they are 
being found and corrected. In New \ork State 
our cooperative associations have definitely taken 
the stand of resting this work upon good sound 
business rather than upon blind faith in the magic 
word cooperation. We need in these agencies a 
greater membership and above all, a greater 
number of members with a real sense of ownership 
and responsibility for these associations. If we 
are to meet our problems and solve them, we must 
have this large, interested membership in all farm 
organizations. 
As farmers, we believe in cooperation. We 
believe in that sort of intelligent cooperation that 
mixes with cooperative effort, good sound horse 
sense, and business management. We need to be 
sure that cooperation is carried to the 
~ extent of good cooperation between 
our own cooperative organizations. 
The cooperative associations and the 
farm and home bureau systems are 
working for the same ends. They 
have the same purposes and aims. 
The failure or success of any one of 
them injures or helps the whole 
movement. 
They are working in fairly close 
harmony now but it is not enough. 
We must have closer cooperation be¬ 
tween all our cooperative marketing 
associations and with the farm and 
home bureaus and the Extension 
Service at the State College of 
Agriculture. If in cooperation there 
is strength so in a very full coopera¬ 
tion of all these well organized forces 
there will be a great strength. 
The challenge of the times is a big 
one. It is impossible to go through 
such a period of depression without 
tremendous losses. But, no other 
generation has ever had the machin- 
SSSSSSS 55 S ery for meeting the problem that we 
have to-day. With strong member¬ 
ship in numbers, with strong membership in sense 
of ownership, with strong cooperation between 
organizations, with a welcoming of constructive 
and building criticism, the problems can be met 
with a minimum of loss. 
Let us all put our shoulders to the wheel, get 
into our farm bureaus and cooperative associa¬ 
tions, give service to these organizations, own 
these organizations, and meet the greatest chal¬ 
lenge that agriculture has known in a generation. 
The Farmer and His Schools 
(Continued from page 50) 
They were bad. I know that many teachers do not 
feel inclined to make changes, or try out new ideas, 
because they feel they will be criticized if the results 
are not good. They prefer to take the easy way, and 
who can blame them? Here is where interest in the 
school, from the parents gets results, because teachers 
will try anything, if they know the district wants it. 
I cannot see how all our wealth and opportunities, 
can help this country, unless the boys and girls who are 
to be its citizens are taught something regarding their 
relations to other people, and to their government. 
Of course it costs, but we all know many things that 
cost this country more, and give less returns or no 
returns. Let’s realize the importance of the schools, 
take more interest in our school system, and work 
together to make it more effective. 
