Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-01-11

farm methods and practices which
farmers are free to accept or reject.
according to their own judgment or
inclin nation. Therefore, 1T would seem
that farm bureau programs have been
in the main composed Of activities the
success or failure OF which falis
suuarely on the shoulders Of the indi-
vidual farmers themselves.
Some one has roughly guessed that
the welfare Of an average farm fam
lily is more than 80 per cent due to its
own energy or ability. and less than
so per cent due to economic or social
conditions beyond the control Of tbs
family itself.
Farm Bureau Work IL Your Doing.
The farm bureau program will con-
tinue to consist Of the direct farm-to-
farm work if you, the members, want
it.. Or the programs will take on
more and more OF activities that re-
quire group cooperation, if you folks
say so. The vitality Of the farm bu-
reau movement lies in the fact that
its programs are made from the bot
tom up.
In actual operation the programs
are worked out quite differently in
the different states and sections be
cause local conditions and institu-
lions are SO different. In some sec
tons the most important group, the
group that already has or most easily
develops community consciousness. il
the small neighborhood group
hemmed in BY natural barriers. In
others, it 10 the trade group around
shipping center, sometimes larger
than a whole county. Again it may
be a township group, because OF in
herited customs or political necessi-
ties.
That tho farm bureau movement 10
big enoush and broad enough and
elastic enough to develop and carry
out successful programs under differ
ent methods promises much for the
future, provided there is enough Of
uniformity to form a broad basis OF
solidarity, county by county and state
by state. Partnership with the agri
cultural colleges and the United
States Department Of Agriculture in
supporting and administering the
county agent work is the most strik-
ing similarity in all of the bureaus up
to the present time. Jealousies as to
leadership in counties where many
different farmer groups already exist,
and lethargy in the counties that
have none, may wreck the whole
structure. Will the American farm
ers measure up to the requirements in
their own home communities?
As to State Farm Bureau declarations
Many Of the state declarations hold
their annual meetings at the state col
leges in connection with Farmers
Week. The county delegates bring
along their county plans, sometimes
on paper. sometimes in their heads.
Fresh from the technical lectures on
production, marketing, home making,
etc, by state and national specialists,
and familiar with the views of the
state extension people as to needs and
policies, state declarations build up
their state programs. Mostly they
use the county plans as a basis, some
building on these bases only, others
running out wings on quite different
foundations.
In other words, some declarations
put nothing into their state programs
that the county bureaus will not def
nitely have a hand in carrying out.
Other federatons maintain that while
the county bureaus may have to re-
strict their legislative and commercial
activities because of their partner
ship with the government in the ad
ministering of public funds. the state
declarations receive their support from
membership fees only, and can there
fore. with entire propriety, do any
thing they see At relative to legisla-
ton or anything else. There are some
who question the soundness Of this
dual personality theory of farm bu
reau membership, and believe that
the soundest policy is frankly to take
the stand that the farm bureau,
whether county, state or national,
has the right even as government
partners to represent the farmers in
matters of legislation and CONNER
cial relationships, because the nation
al welfare will be promoted thereby |
AS state conditions and state prob
lens differ widely, so necessarily do
the state farm bureau federation pro-
grams differ. Sometimes the differ
ent stats may even be on opposite
sides of the same question. On the
other hand, in all the programs are
certain broad fundamental agricui
tural needs and agricultural ideals to