Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1917 — FARMERS' CLUBS AND THE BETTER FARMING ASSOCIATION [ARTICLE]

FARMERS' CLUBS AND THE BETTER FARMING ASSOCIATION

Following is an article read by P, «H. Hauter, secretary ofthe Jas-| per County Better Farming association at the recent picnic of the farmers’ club officers, and which caused such favorable., comment by the authorities at Purdue university that it is reprinted:- i The farmers’ club has a three- : fold purpose: to improve its mem-, bers, their farms and the community. First, it endeavors to give to each member a new inspiration, make of him or her a more able man or woman and a better citizen, make him more satisfied with life and experience a greater joy in living. It endeavors to place the farms on a higher plane, make them more efficient arid thereby; yield greater returns. It endeavors to improve the community by beautifying the countryside, improving the educational and social facilities, improving the facilities for marketing and means of . securing farm supplies, securing better roads and better service or conditions in any other line which-- will make the community a more desirable place' in which to live. Compared with the city the farm has many advantages and many disadvantages. The healthy physi-

cal and moral surroundings make it a pleasant and desirable place for rearing families and offers almost unlimited advantages of independence of both thought and action. But on the other hand, farm life has disadvantages which we must note as in them lies our greatest opportunity for improvement. Of these I will mention three: First, the farm is usually operated on a small scale, which may increase the cost of marketing because of small quantity. For an illustration, we will take the marketing of livestock through a middleman, the livestock buyer who goes from farm to farm picking up a few head here and there until he has a carload, increasing the expense over the handling of the same animals from, one farm. It increases the cost of his supplies because he buys in small quantities. It increases the cost of his' machinery because much of it is used only a few days each year. The farmer may pay $35 for a fanning mill, which he will use a half hour per year, while Henry Ford buys a machine of some kind which he uses twenty-four hours per day every day in the year. Second, the educational facilities on the farm are usually inferior to those of the city, both in school and after the school days are past. The schools are not so efficient as the city schools. The farmer has not the chance to hear good lectures or other intellectual entertainments and has not the opportunity to come in contact with people from whom he can get new ideas. As a matter of fact, a farmer really needs the . best education for a farmer has to be a man of all trades, while in general a man of business has only to know his own trade. The third disadvantage is that the social facilities of rural communities are not as well developed

as those of the city and most people believe that this is the most serious disadvantage of the three. Many city people would be horrified to think of the idea of working alone all day and then spending the evening away from the gayety of the city, and this is just what is taking the boys and girls from the farms. We can, however, safely say that many of the disadvantages have already been materially reduced by such agencies as the rural free delivery, the telephone and the automobile, and now we have advanced a step farther and have secured the services of a county agent to bring the information of the university to our county and above all to bring into being such organizations as the farmers’ clubs. I believe it is within the power of the farmers’ clubs and organizations formed by the clubs to still further improve conditions and in some cases entirely eliminate the disadvantages which have previously seemed so great and thus make the farm an ideal place to live. We will take the farmers’ club from three viewpoints: co-opera-tive, educational and social. The co-operative phase may be divided into two divisions, those where actual financial transactions take place and ' where co-operative effort is used to gain results. We in the country are more interested in the later at present, but I will take up the first. Denmark is about half as large as Indiana, with a slightly larger population! The Danes are probably farther advanced in co-opera-tionthan any other country. The land’ is not very fertile and the people were once very poor. In 1880 the country was on the verge of bankruptcy and they began to co-oj»erate. In 1910 they had 1,157 dairy associations with 157,000 members and shipped to Europe alone through these associations over $51,000,000 worth of dairy products. They had thirty-four bacon curing associations with 93,000 members and through these during the same "year shipped to

England alone $32,000,000 worth of bacon. Their egg associations with 52,000 members shipped to England $10,000,000 worth of eggs. In addition to these marketing associations they had 1,800 livestock breeding associations with 60,000 members, 519 cow testing associations with 12,000 members, and as a result Denmark had a higher per capita wealth in 1910 than any other European nation. In our own country the California Orange Growers’ association has done wonders for its members. The apple growers’ association has made the Northwest an apple country. In the middle West we find co-operative creameries in Minnesota and Wisconsin and co-opera-tive elevators all through the grain district. In fact the people cooperate in many ways throughout the country. We have farmers’ clubs in Jasper county and I believe the cooperative part is going to be handled through the Better Farming association, so it is well that our officers of the clubs will attend these meetings also and urge their club members to do the same. We are yet young and our accomplishments will be greater from year to year. The farmer is just as much interested in the welfare of the city as the merchant is in the welfare of the country. Wise co-operation on the part of the farmer amakes for the welfare of both. The farmers should get the community spirit instilled in both and work for the better community, city and country combined. The other form of co-operation which farmers’ clubs may take up, and at the present time the most needed, does not involve in financial dealing but simply uses combiped efforts and influence of the club -members to attain certain ends. For instance, it may be desirable to use combined__ effort of clubs to secure better roads, more attractive roadsi&es or better schools. Combined effort is often needed to combat animal diseases such as hog cholera or insect pests or weeds which have a tendency 'to spread from farm to farm. With the aid of our county agent we can see that sanitary precautions are taken to prevent the disease from entering the community and it might be wise to report such outbreaks immediately to the county agent and he can see that measures are taken to prevent any future spread. We might adopt the same breed Of livestock to attract buyers from the outside. We might have different varieties of seed tested out with the help of the county agent and then adopt certain varieties which are best suited to the community. Then, again, we might find it well to use the organized influence of the clubs to have certain . laws passed which are of special inter-

est to the farmers. One of the greatest educational benefits of ' the farmers’ club is derived from the use of local talent. If farmers are going to do things through organization, they must be able to make their influence felt and it is necessary that they be able to get up before people and express themselves. Farmers, as a rule, have 'had little opportunity to do this and many of them are backward when it conies to public speaking. We need mjore farmers in legislatures and congress; farmers who are able to appear on the platform'and make their position understood. To give a talk or-paper on a subject is one of the best methods of self-educa-tion because it causes one to master the more carefully than if he were to be simply a listener. Local talent gives neighbors an opportunity to exchange* ideas which are often very valuable because of having' been developed under conditions similar to your own. It aisb d/ v. l(Yps ' Fffiter ’ nndorstanding bet ween, neighbors' and makes a better community. But it is als'o good to bring in outside talent to add new idpas and enthusiasm to the meeting. Many of the business and 'professional men of the city should be able to give/ some instructive talks. They may not be on agriculture but the .program should be varied and while agricultural subjects should be the main feature, others of broadening tendencies should be provided. I believe that the social function of a farmers’ club is just as important as the other two. We are all social beings and require a certain amount of contact with our fellowmen. Such contact gives a broader vision of life, stimulates interest in neighbors J and makes us think better or Them, We also need a certain amount of recreation and this can best, be obtained in social groups. , This should be remembered by program committees in making out their programs. For the mere act of coming together to hear an educational talk or discuss a co-operative project will, "Of course, to some extent meet the social demands, but I believe that a special effort should be made to make each meeting have a truly social value. Picnics, plays, music, refreshments, basket dinners should be made use of by the program committee. Before closing I wish to say to the officers of the clubs that Jasper county, has a* county agent who will do .all in his power to make it a better county and he has organized a better farming association, which is really the beginning of many other organizations. This association has three officers and they with three of the board of education and the presidents and secretaries of these clubs make up the governing board. We are here to serve the people. We have outlined the work for the season. How much, the association may accomplish depends upon the people. The county agent can do much and he already has 'accomplished a great deal,' but he needs the help of every person, for the more we ■have pushing the more we can accomplish. So, officers, let. us all get the spirit and work in harmony. Let us make Jasper county one where outsiders will say, “There’s a county where they have the right spirit! Look at the association that they have formed! Look what they are doing for community betterment!” Much will depend upon the club leaders. Every officer should believe in the farmers’ clubs and be enthusiastic in their work, for this will inspire the members with enthusiasm. They must be willing to progress. They should not become discouraged for there will be many times when interest will lag. The leaders should have broad visions who can see the possibilities of their work. They should have sympathy and ideals which reach out over the .material things of life and which do not measure humanity in terms of gold. W/hen once well established, we will begin to realize the magnitude of the results of our cliibs. We will find their influence to be farreaching and they will become established institutions which our communities could not* afford to be without. In closing I will quote Agnes Brundin, secretary of the Congress of Forums, believing that what applies to the forums will also apply to the farmers’ clubs: “Where a forum has been in operation for any length of time, a decided effect upon the people has been noticed, there has been more tolerance toward other views, more sympathetic interest in the lives of others, regardless of race or religion, more knowledge of ideas other than those expressed in partisan newspapers, iji Churches, in schools or in . the homes. Here men and women think for themselves, feel a new self-confidence, a new self-respect, a new responsibility toward themselves and toward society. In, truth, there is a new democracy Which every American has held as an ideal and which has caused the oppressed of every land to look to America as a land of promise.”