The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-02-13
CITY AND FARM
WILL COOPERATE
PLAN ADOPTED AT OTTUMWA.
IOWA, PROVES SUCCESS FOR
BOTH PARTIES
why CANNOT DROOMNGS ADOPT PLAN
This Matter Is Submitted For The
Consideration OF The Commercial
Club As A Practical Plan

Ottumwa, Iowa, guided and prodded
on by its Commercial Club. brushed
aside its city limits and moved out in
to Wapello county three years ago.
Cooperation and understanding be-
tween the business men of the city
and the business men of the smaller
towns and rural communications
ers-have come. The unnatural, fool
ish and threatening gap between city
and county has been bridged in this
food producing, retailing, manufacture
ing and jobbing middle western Gen.
ter. City-County harmony is no long
er a dream, an idea or a mere plan
In Wapello county. 1t is the "Ottum-
wa Way" something that is already
in existence in Wapello county, work
ing with purpose and effect.
The Wapello County Farm Bureau
of the Ottumwa Commercial Club has
taken Its proper place in the commu-
nifty organization scheme, along side
of the Salesmen's Bureau, the Wom-
Gil DulCdu, tuc NOou TtOdUS buTcdu,
the Advertising Bureau and the Ship
per's Bureau. An annual popular vote
among the members of the bureau pro-
duces an immediate governing body,
representative of each Incorporated
town n each township in the coun-
ty. This board meets monthly.
At the start, the Commercial Club
and the handful OF progressive farm
ers who saw clearly the mutual adj
vantages of closer city-county rela-
lions, were able to muster a member
ship Of 140 prosperous farmers in the
project-just enough to go ahead.
Now. the Wapello County Farm Blu
reau of the Ottumwa Commercial
Club has a membership of 800 farm
! ers. The annual membership dues are
$40 per year, said to be the highest
Farm Bureau dues In the United
States. The arrangement with the
Commercial Club provides that every
cent collected from Farm Bureau
membership dues goes directly back
into Farm Bureau work, without any
overhead for rent, stenographic help,
etc.
The organization started with a
county agent, the expert partly fur
nished by the state and federal gov
ernments Soon the federal govern
ment announced a plan to provide
counties willing to share a portion Of
the expense with a trained woman
county agent" to work with the
homes of the farms in much the same
way that the NAL county agent was
working with the farmers themselves.
Through its Farm Bureau, Wapello
county was just well enough organ
state to accept the conditions and Sc
cure a home demonstration agent.
Later on, as the demands Of the war
became more acute, the federal gov
eminent announced it's willingness to
place trained leaders oil boys and
girls in counties that would agree in
turn to invest a substantial amount OF
money in the work. Wapello county
was again among the first counties to
accept and receive a county club lead
er to work exclusively among the
boys and girls Of Wapello county
through neighborhood beef, canning,
garden. sheep, calf clubs, etc. During
the first year more than LOO young
men and women competed for prizes
offered by the bureau in the clubs or
ganized by the county leader.
Progressing under the constant en-
enlargement of the Commercial Club.
the Wapello County Farm Bureau has
received credit for being one of the
first counties in the United States to
receive a 100 per cent rating in rural
organization from Washington. Re-
Gently, the Department of Agriculture
has issued instructions that all such
agents supplied with federal aid must
operate locally under one head and n
local budget = something VJapello
county worked out for itself more
than two years ago..
The following outline represents the
devices that have been created in this
pioneer organization to keep the Com
mercial Club and its Farm Bureau
the city and the county-close togeth-
err and to head off possible friction
and misunderstanding:
/. Two prominent farmers have
been placed on the Commercial Club
board. the supreme organization body,
elected annually by popular vote of
the entire membership.
2. Two Ottumwarnen interested per-
sonally in agriculture have been
placed on the Farm Bureau boar& ok
directors. the immediate governing
body elected annually by s popular