Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1919-08-13
Purposes and Plans Of
Minnesota State De-
partment Of Agriculture

IpdTCIIlenC u A8IAC4lCue.
The State Department Of Agriculture
for Minnesota was established by act
Of the legislature of 1912 The depart
ment Office was opened at. the new Ca
Epitol building on June LIST, 1913, with;
MN. j. Holmberg, Of Renville county,
occupying the position Of Commission
er Of Agriculture.
specified the scope Of its duties and the
character Of the activities therein.
These might be briefly CLASSIFIED as fol-
lows:
1. The Department shall encourage
and promote the development Of agri-
cultural industries This duty is broad
and general in character and, literally
interpreted, grants much latitude in its
operation. The activities Of general
agriculture are many and their relations
to other lines of business so varied that
it is evident the department must be
clothed with considerable authority to
meet every agricultural possibility.
2"It shall investigate marketing con-
ditions affecting the marketing Of farm
produce" This phase of agriculture
has not been favored heretofore in Min
nesota with that official consideration to
which it's Importance entities it. En-
phasis has been stressed upon 'produc-
ton and properly SO, as the earliest
epoch in history of agriculture in any
state has been that of production. Now,
the subject Of adequate and profitable.
marketing appears upon the agricul-
tural program and it has been organized
as most important division of the du-
ties of the new department..
g. 1T shall collect and compile sta
tistics and information. in regard to
agricultural products Of the state and
agricultural industries" Strange to
say, no official machinery has existed
prior to the organization of the depart
ment, whereby intelligent statistical in
formation was collected and made avail
able for agricultural purposes. This
duty also includes an agricultural cen
sus at least once in two years. The
local assessors are required, under the
act establishing the department, to col
lect statistical information required for
the purposes indicated above.
4. Cooperate with federal author
tiles and the Government department
of agriculture in the development Of
agricultural resources of the state.
Generally, this gives authority, as, has
been stated above, to participate in
many activities alreay operating to i'm
prove agricultural conditions, but it also
grants ample opportunity for = the in
[auguartion of special activities For
example the floods which have recently
prevailed in certain sections of the
state and have created no small loss
ton in this department in cooperating
with others. It is evident that drain
Eage is fundamentally agricultural and
that it implies the establishment, not
alone Of more bitches, but Of retaining
works, such as reservoirs, to protect
against sudden and great outfloWs of
water to lower lands, and in addition,
it includes the development Of water
powers on the inclines The depart
ment, under this act, is cooperating
this summer with the College Of Agricul-
ture in this state and with the Depart
ment of Agriculture at Washington in
an investigation of land settling, clear
ing and development operations in the
great cut over regions of northern Min
nesota This is the first scientific study;
of the methods in vogue in Minnesota
with reference to the success or failures
Of settlers and settlements in the ter-
ritOry indicated and also Of the costs
of land clearing and various other mat
tiers closely related thereto. These ex-
.emplify some Of. the duties Indicated
in this section.
5. Certain powers and duties relative
to the buying and selling of farm pro
ducts and which have heretofore been
cared for in the state railroad ware
house department are transferred to the
Department Of Agriculture Certain
other duties connected with the com
mission business in farm products and
which have been exercised by the Dairy
& Food Commission are also transfer
red to this department
An entirely new activity appears in
agricultural economics under this act
in that particular section which re-
:quires the department annually to col
lect samples Of wheat from various
parts Of the state as soon as is possible
after harvest, and to have a scientific
test made therefrom in order to ascer-
tain the quantity, quality and value Of
the foreign matter contained therein, to
ascertain the cost Of its removal, and
RI coo,,rni irfnrnoo fin,, &c II, +l,n ;nro 10