The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-11-08
A New Deal" Among Farmers

when the spokesman OF group OF big
Kansas City business men stepped ir
and asked, as this headquarters fol
the Liberty Loan Committee" "No,
replied Samuel ]. Kleinschmidt, Pres
ident of the Missouri Farmers Assn;
81 am sorry we do not have that honor
This is meeting of the directors OF
the Missouri Farmers Assn. We
went "over the top" out in the country
several days ago and if you fellows
need help, say So" "The Missouri
Farmers Ass'n!" exclaimed the
spokesman incredulously. "What in
h is that?" Then turning to his
companions, he asked, "Does this
bunch look like farmers to you fell
lows? And meeting at swell joint
like this, too! Well, that's goin' some"
and with that they waved their
hands and laughingly apologized for
the intrusion.
1t is now something like two years
ago since the great school house
Farm Club movement was inaugural
ed in Missouri. At first the progress
was slow as such things inevitably
are. Gradually, however, the tiger"
manifested itself and today over 3d.
600 of the best and most progressive
farmers in the State answer to the
roll calls, while the campaign is now
in progress to drive the membership
to 100000 before the coming winter is
overland it was the 20 odd directors
of the State Assn of these Farm Clubs
who were in session at the above ho-
tel--the bunch" which caused the
CT is brDoo nt IF ha of
Kansas City Captains of Industry"
And to admit the truth, possibly the
surprise of the gentlemen was some
what Justification it is perfectly true
that the directors of the Missouri
Farmers Assn wear clean collars,
fairly good clothes and believe in
transacting their business at decent
hotel. And why not? Is there
greater business on earth than that of
the farmer? Is there one which in
wolves anywhere near as much mon
ey? Therefore, should those who are
commissioned to speak for the farmer
wear dirty shirt, one gallus and eat
and confer at hotel which is the rem
devious of "down and outers"? And
yet this is the conception which the
average city man has of the farmer.
He thinks Of him only in the terms of
a "hayseed" or "roughneck". At the
time when the above interruption
came, the directors were just closing
a deal for binder Irvine for next sea-
son which will perhaps save their
members 100000. But even that was
a comparative incident in their meet
ing, while the subject upon which
they spent most of their time that
day was the future of the hog and
cattle market-for be it known, the
Missouri Farmers Assn is vastly
more concerned in what the farmer
receives for his grain and live stock
than in what he can save on what he
buys. In fact, the Farm Clubs aIe,
in every sense, friendly to the C1un-
try Town.
1t would be hard to find a finer or
more intelligent group of farmers any
where than those who are at the head
Of the Missouri Farmers Assn. Ev-
cry one of them is a citizen IF s. and
ing in his home county. Col J. A.
Hudson of Columbia, Chairman OF the
Executive Committee, owns perhaps
the finest cattle feeding plant in the
State. On his big Missouri River bot
tom farm are four tile silos that
measure 24x65 feet, while his cattle |
barn will comfortably house 500 big
steers. And there are other directors
who are not far behind him. 1t was
this group of men who induced Mr.. |
Hoover to raise the price of fat cat
tie last winter at conference in |
Washington which attracted nation
wide attention and which incidentally |
saved the farmers of this country |
millions of dollars. By this it must |
not be inferred that the Missouri |
Farmers Assn is made up of "silk |
stocking" farmers. On the contrary,
the Farm Clubs appeal to the 40 acre
farmer every whit as much as to the |
man with the big red barn. On the
other hand, the men at the head of |
the State Assn believe that the best |
way to get Square deal" for the
farmer is to go after it just like any
other set of intelligent business men
would do under similar circumstances |
and they are getting results which |
promise to make the Missouri Farm
ers' Assn known throughout the ma
tkon before long. Altogeth$r, this
lusty new organization marks "new
deal" in the realm of the farm. 1t
means, in short, that new force has |
arrived in the arena of American ag-
riculture-a set of men who are ire
mendously in earnest and who be-
lieve that pound of action is worth |
ton of calamity bowling.
The Scotland COuAty Farmers
Association
What the farmers of Scotland coun-
ty have done during the last year and |
half is a striking illustration of the |
school house Farm Club Movement in |
action. Nearly two years ago, C. w.
Boyer and W. 10 Buford organized the |
Price Farm Club near CORN, Mo-, with |
something like 20 members. Then
they sent word to their neighbors in |
the adjoining school districts to call
meetings at which things might be
talked over" This these neighbors
proceeded to do and thus in a little |
while half-dozen clubs were brought
into being and along about this time
several carloads of -four and mill feed
- L. 4 Al 4 I