The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-02-28
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY
FARMERS ORGANIZE
FARM RIIREAII


meeting at the Armory Saturday and
manifested the keenest interest in the
plan for organizing a county Farm
Bureau. The gathering was called to
order by E. P. Sherman, who was Sec
retary of the Farm Bureau last year.
He stated briefly the purpose for which
the meeting was called and then re-
quested DR.. Mumford, State Leader of
Farm Bureau work, to explain more
fully the methods and results of the
Farm Bureaus in other counties of the
State and of the Nation. DR.. Mumford
also outlined the plans of the State
Farm Bureau recently organized at
East Lansing and spoke of the move
ment just started at Ithaca, N. Y. by
delegates from twelve states to organ
ize National Farm Bureau.
Dr. Mumford showed very clearly
that this movement is in the interest
of both producers and consumers and
that only through an organization of
such broad scope, including commu-
mites, counties, states and the nation,
can agriculture find full and fair ex-
preston and justice be given to the
farmers and to the consumers of farm
products. He showed that the farmer
the same as man in any other bust
ness must five first consideration TO
his market Whether product can be
sold in quantities at a profit is the first
question any business that hopes to be
successful must consider. He illus
trated this by several instances in
manufacturing and then in farming,
citing in particular the work being
done through the fifteen Farm Bu-
reaus and the Michigan Potato Grow
ers Exchange in Northwestern Michi
gan in the marketing of potatoes. His
remarks convinced the large audience
of farmers that the Farm Bureau is
an organization based upon we'll tested
business principles and that it has
provided success in hundreds of
counties throughout the United States.
Like any other well organized bus
mess, the Farm Bureau provides for
a strong Executive Committee or
Board of Directors elected by The
members. This executive body is
chosen purely for service to the coun-
ty's agriculture; the work is outlin-
ed by the members, then divided into
departments and each department is
placed in charge of one member of
the Board of Directors or Executive
Committee who becomes chairman of
that Department for the county and
the other members of the department
are representatives from the differ
ent communities Of the county. This
gives the machinery for the most
careful and thorough deliberation
upon each of the principal agricul-
tural problems Of the county, for
making plans to meet these problems
and for execution Of the plans.
That the plan of organization ap-
pealed to the men present was evil
denced by their unanimous approval
Of the motion TO organize d Farm
Bureau in accordance with the method
outlined. Geo. Vinegar, Sr., OF Perry
township was selected as temporary
president, Guy Bradon Of Burns town.
ship as vice-president and E. p. Sher-
man, Caledonia township, as tempor-
ary secretary. 1t was decided to
place the membership fee at two dol
lars annually and TO proceed at once
to secure the necessary number Of
members to make the organization
effective. The goal was set at one
thousand members and nearly every
man present stood up in answer to
the call for those who would become
members Of the new Farm Bureau.
The plan for a membership cam
paign was then outlined by Frank
S&ndhammer, assistant State Leader
of Farm Bureau work. The plan is to
conduct membership campaign i'm
mediately and for this purpose a
county organization committee has
been selected and a township chair
man for each township. The township
chairmen are authorized to select as
their associates one man from each
school district These men will take
1 the responsibility for explanation of
the Farm Bureau in their townships
: anu Will give luC tiAilC necessary lOT
securing the quota of members for
their respective townships. The men
who have signified their intention to
help with this important work are
giving their time because they be-
lieve in this organized movement and
because they are interested not only
in their own welfare but also in that
Of their communities and of the coun-
ty.
1t is believed that these men will
be Loyalty supported in their efforts
by the most progressive farmers of
the county and that the membership
goal set will be reached. If this can
be done it will give Shiawassee Coun-
ty one of the best organizations in
the United States and will place the
county in close touch with hundreds
Of other well organized counties all
over the country and will give it rep
resentation in the State and Nation
al Farm Bureau.