The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1915-05-20
FARMERS CLUBS HELP
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

One of the well established facts is
that the development of community
must come from within. Outside
agencies may give the start but the
people of the community must fur
nish the constant energy which is
needed in carrying on the develop
ment, writes the Farm Information
Service of the North Dakota Expert
ment Station.
Farmers clubs is one of the most
effective agencies in developing =
community. There were but few of
them until the county agents began
their work. They not only started the
farmers clubs but keep in touch with
them, furnishing suggestions and aid
ing in arranging and providing pro-
grams. Outlines Of programs with
references to bulletins and books are
also sent to the cubs by the Expert
ment Station.
These farmers clubs are enlisting
the people of the community in i'm
provement work of the most vital
kind. 1t is social, educational and
economic, in a way bringing back the
social life that used to be supplied in
the husking bee, the barn raising. the
singing school, the spelling school,
etc-educational, in that most Of the
numbers of the program are on farm,
homo and kindred topics, and-eco-
nomic, in that the members of the
clubs are coming to see that the farm
products are worth more when a con-
siderable quantity of uniformly high
quality is produced in the community,
which means community planning in
production. This is one of the most
effective means of increasing the re-
turns to the community. Planning to-
gether in the production means that
the products are half sold. The large
quantity Of one kind and quality
brings the market, and in many cases
the farmers organize to sell the pro-
ducts.
i It has been noticed that when the
members of community begin to
work together in producing something
Of quality that community pride de.
velops. which is strong incentive to-
ward improvement, aside from its
economic value.
The farmers club has laid the foun-
dation for the formation of business
organizations among the farmers for
the purpose of selling products and
especially livestock. In some cases
the cubs have bought such things as
feed, posts, fencing, twine and lumber
in carload lots. The South End Ship
pers' Association, with headquarters
at Hope, N. D., is a good example of
a farmers organization. In about
eight months they have sold 26 car
loads of stock.
The formation of farmers clubs has
been one of the most pronounced ac-
tivities of the better farming work,
and these farmers clubs and the or
CARNATIONS growing out of them are
supplying the farmers with organiza-
tions for planning their production
and for handling their business,
where it can be done better through
an organization than by the individ-
ual. These organizations are in many
cases lowering the cost of production
as, for instance. when several farm
ers cooperate in the ownership of a
good pure bred sire the cost is usually
less to each farmer than where each
farmer owned a scrub sire and at the
same time the product is improved.
In many localities each farmer does
not have enough cattle to warrant him
in securing a real good sire. Another
advantage of several using the same
sire is that there will be good many
animals of considerable uniformity
produced in the locality and that also
makes them worth more.
The farmers clubs are furnishing
the farmers with training in talking
things over, in conducting meetings,
in acting together, that is making
possible community cooperation
along social, educational and economic
lines.