The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-09-08
Farm Bureaus
Economic Force
$4,000 MINNESOTA FARMERS
HAVE JOINED THE
FEDERATION
(By F. L. French.


$4,000 already are members of the
farm bureau federation. After the
statewide rally of farmers at the fair,
drive to increase the membership to
100 900 will be started, with six groups
Of eight to ten farm bureau represen-
tatives covering the entire state, and
organizing each district as they go.
"We believe that in time more than
half the farmers in the state will be
members of the farm bureau fedora
tion," F. L. French, secretary of the
Minnesota organization, said:
''The principle of cooperation and
community spirit among farmers
which the farm bureau represents, is
an old principle. 1t has been growing
up for the last 20 years. But the farm
bureau itself, as it is now organized, is
comparatively new. The first county
farm bureau was organized in Mime
sofa eight years ago, and the state fed
Grafton is less than six months old.
To Elevate Farm Life.
"Now it is taking it's place as a tre-
mendous economic force in the life of
the state. It's mission is to give the
farmer the things he needs to make
/ life worth while That means a square
deal when he sells his products and
when he buys his supplies. 1t means
improving conditions of farm life,
making farms more productive, and
increasing the return the farmer gets
for improving conditions of farm life,
marketing.
''The farm bureau is the farmers
organization, machine he has Great
ed to serve his own peculiar interests.
It gives him a means Of using the
great economic force he represents as
the producer of the necessities Of life"
These are the aims of the farm bu-
reau federation, as outlined by Mr..
French:
To re-establish agriculture in the
public mind as the foremost indus
try on which all others depend.
To foster all lines of endeavor
which make for better homes, bet
ter social and religious life, better
health, and better rural living.
To establish without question the
! legality of collective bargaining.
To conduct referendums on ma
tional questions to enable the farm
err to express his views on the ma
tion's policies at home and abroad.
To safeguard the rights and in
terests of the farmer and to as
sert his needs whenever and where
ever occasion may arise.
To extend the cooperative mar
keting of crops to the point where
maximum benefits are secured for
the producer and for the consumer.
The farm bureau organized from
the bottom up. The bottom is the
county, and the nucleus of the county
organization is the county agent. The
county agent is an agricultural eX
pert, paid partly by the national gov
,ernment, partly by the state and partly
by the county. His function has been
to assist the farmers in solving all
their problems, teaching them i'm
proved methods, and promoting coop
Grafton among them. There are coun-
ty agents in 81 of the 86 Minnesota
counties.
The first county farm bureau was
organized in this state eight years
ago, and the movement has spread un-
til now 55 counties have bureaus unit
ed in one state organization. Other
counties have bureaus not yet linked
with the central bureau.
797 County Bureaus in U. S.
Throughout the United States there
are TOT of these county bureaus. In
the county bureau every farmer has
his representation and the whole sys-
TEN, from county unit to national
union, has been worked out to give
the fairest representation to every
element in American farm life.
From the bottomup, the farm bu-
reau federation is representative,
Mr. French said. From the county
org anlza:ion is built the state fedora
tion. Each county has one director
as its representative in the state fed
GRAFTON. These county directors choose
the farm bureau executive board of
10 members. These men are farmers,
not theorists.
'The organization of the national
federation is designed to be equally
representative. Each state is entitled
to one representative and an addi-
tional one for every 10000 members.
This group elects the American Farm
Bureau executive board. Already 81
states are members of the national
federation.
Free Farm Politics.
Inc 1afm bureau is made up or men
united in the promotion of agriculture,
economically, educationally and social
ly. 1t does not aim to replace any
other organization. 1t includes rep
resentatives of practically every farm
er organization in the country. 1t is
free from political entanglements.
Whenever any officer or director be-
comes candidate for national office,
he must at once resign his office in
the federation.
"The Minnesota Farm Bureau feder-
alton and its various county farm bu-
reaus represent only nominal invest
ment on the part of any one farmer.
From one-half to two-thirds of the
necessary money in support of the
county farm bureau comes from the
public funds. and depends on the sup
port of their members. The fees of
the state federation never have ex-