Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1920-12-24
FARM BUREAU DECIDES
ORGANIZE TOWNSHIPS
Annual Meeting Held Saturday
More Corporations to Be
Organized

of the Stevens County Farm Bureau
Association at it's annual meeting
last Saturday. A program of work
for next year was adopted which in
cludes the organization of township
units, the promotion of cooperative
enterprises and the eradication of
noxious weeds with especial refer
ence to the SOW thistle and the Can
adian thistle.
The meeting, which was held at
the Orpheum theatre, was called to
order by President r. w. Keeler,
who called for the report of the
secretary treasurer. This was given
by w. T. Brisbane. Messrs. Graham,
Summers and Schlattman were ap-
report showed that the association
treasury was in good condition.
Messrs. E. E. Walpole, G. F. Kirk,
]. w. Behl, VIM. Meyer and
M. Mortensen were appointed a
nominating committee.
President Keeler, in reviewing the
growth of the association said that
it was started three years ago with
a paid membership of PIP at $3.50
each. Now it has membership of
700 at $500 each. 1t has expanded
from wartime measure, to a strong
county organization, which is fed
Grated with great state and great
national organizations. It's national
officers are consulted by the financial
and other great interests as to what
the farmers want along certain lines.
The state federation was started on
a poverty-stricken basis of fifty cents
a member, but we now set aside
$1O0 per member for the state fed
Grafton and fifty cents for the ma
tional I do not know all the things
we are going to do, but we shall find
out what there is to be done first.
The Iowa and Illinois federations
maintain a trouble man at the Chi
cago stock yards, and we should do
the same at South St. Paul. The mar
keting problems will be looked into
and remedies applied. For the
first time in history the state legis-
lature has caucused with the state
federation officials as to what the
farmers want in the way of legisla-
tion. Members should keep posted on
what is being done in the county.
This is a big movement and if the
present state and national federations
do not make good, the cause of the
farmer will be set back and we will
go back to being the unrepresented
business as we have in the past.
Roy Bridgford, professor of agron-
omy at the farm school, was called on
and spoke in the interest of the Min
nesota Crop Improvement Associa-
tion. He said that Stevens county is
not we'll represented in this associa-
ton, which is composed of about 400
farmers growing pedigreed seed. The
university stations will grow the
seeds and put them out to the farm
ers. He spoke of the different
strains of pedigreed corn, oats and
barley which are grown at the local
station.
P. S. Jordan, professor of animal
husbandry at the farm school urged
the cause of better stock. He said
the survey Of this county taken in
July, 1919, showed that 1872 farm
ers had pure bred cattle, 100 had
pure bred hogs, 20 had pure bred
sheep and horses. There were
about $50 pure bred bulls in
the county. He said this
was not a good showing as condi-
tions here are excellent for growing
good live stock, the soil is good for
alfalfa, clover and corn, which
should promote the growing of good
live stock. There has been some i'm
provement in past five years, but not
enough. There never was a better
time to go into live stock than right
now. The dairy sections of the state
are hardly feeling the present fin
ancial stringency. Hogs at eight or
nine cents are better than grains
when it take four or five pounds of
grain to produce a pound of pork,
and grain is selling at a cent
a pound. The butterfat market
is also good. The Bureau can en-
courage farmers to buy good grade
COWS, can get back of the boys and
girls club work, and can promote
better live stock not only pure breds
but good grades.
President Keeler supported what
Mr.. Jordan said by citing the differ
ence in price received for grades and
scrubs in the same shipment, and
showed that the difference in price
would have bought pure bred sire.
R. H. Giberson, boys and girls
club leader, said that the way to get
better stock was to encourage the
boys and girls to raise baby beef or
pig. The same is true of the corn
and the other twelve products in