Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-05-13
IOWA MAN AT THE HEAD
Now at the Head of the Great Farm
eFs' Organization of the Nation

ers' Organization of the Nation
James r. Howard of Clemens,
Iowa, president of the Iowa Farm
Bureau Federation who was elected
president of the American Farm
Bureau Federation at its organiza-
tion meeting in Chicago few weeks
ago is an Iowan whose training and
experience fit him exceptionally well
to discharge the duties of chief exc
cutive OF the first really national or
ganiZation of farmers. And these
organized farmers pay him $4,000
year salary-which shows what
they think of him.
Born and raised on the farm, Mr..
Howard is not kid glove farmer in
any sense of the word. On the 9TH
er hand he has spent enough time off
the farm in other pursuits and in
different parts of the country to have
that back ground of all around ex-
perience so necessaryin aman whose
interests must now be the interests
of every farmer in every part of the
United States for the American Farm
Bureau Federation is active in ev-
cry state in the Union. 1t represents
and includes in it's membership the
farmers and agricultural interests Of
every part of-the country; the truck
gardeners and dairy farmers of New
England, the cotton growers and
dairy farmers of the west, the wheat
farmer growers and dry farmers of
the west, the wheat farmers of the
north, and the grain and stock farm
ers of the corn belt. In Mr. How
ard the members feel that they have
;c fn1I m
direct the varied and extended in
terests of their far-reaching organ
iZation.
James r. Howard is a distinctly
Iowa product He was born on the
Marshall county, farm which he is
now operating, about AZ years ago.
| There he spent his boyhood, attend
ing the district school and helping
his father on the farm. When he
had finished the county schools his
father did not feel that he could
give him any further education and
so James earned most Of his ex-
penses while he attended Penn Col
lege at Oskaloosa. Not satisfied
with what, at that time, was consid-
cred a very good education, he then
put in some time at Grinnell College
after he had graduated from Penn.
Later he secured another degree at
the University of Chicago.
In the meantime he had taught
school for a number of terms in
Marshall and Hardin counties. After
taking his degree at the University
of Chicago, Mr.. Howard was retain
ed as an instructor in economics at
the university for one year. Fol-
lowing that he taught the same sub
ject at the University of North
Carolina for two years.
Seeking an application for some OF
the science which he had been teach
ing, the future leader of the Ameri-
can farmers then turned to banking,
serving as cashier of a bank at
Providence. Iowa, for five years.
However, he was farmer born and
reared and he returned to the old
home farm in 1904 and since that
time has devoted himself entirely to
farming and allied activities. He
lives on his $50 acre farm and takes
no little pride in his work there. He
is a practical farmer with an expert
ence supplemented and strengthen
ed by business education and train
ing previous to taking over actual
control of the farm.
For many years Mr.. Howard has
taken an active interest in all pro-
gressive movements designed to
make farm life more attractive and
remunerative and to improve the
general conditions surrounding the
farmer. He has long been aware
of the fact that farmers have not
had, in the past, the consideration
from legislators and industrial lead
ers which they we're entitled to re-
ceive. He has long realized that
the primary producer of the land has
not always received a return for
his foodstuffs commensurate with
the efforts required to produce them.
There has been no lack OF farm
ers' organizations to occupy the at
tention of such men as Mr.. Howard,
but never until the farm bureau
movement obtained statewide i'm
portance was there an organization
of farmers that promised to live long
or grow strong enough to make its
influence felt.