The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1921-01-06
TOPICS OF THE FARM
A Department Devoted Exclusively to Farm
Affairs in Hand County


third big idea in the farm bureau move
mont, viz, the sitting in council of the
trained agents of the Government with
trained farmers entirely familiar with
local conditions and local problems.
and both contributing to the WORKING
out of such n longtime program; %
operation between farmers and agents
OF the Government in the closest and
most intimate way.
at o o developed that there were
not sufficient Federal and State funds
lie employment of a full-time man l n
Every county of the United States, and
since the work done in the county was
IN the interest of the entire county il
seemed only logical to ask the count,
and the farmers to help the Federal
Government and State college of agri-
culture finance the work. The work,
therefore, became essentially a public
work, financed for the most part from
the public funds, and where this diu
not suffice, the farmers were so thoro-
u6hly convinced Of its value that they
went down in their own pockets and
contributed toward the support of this
work which had been Authorized and in
part financed by the National and
State Governments.
Farm Bureau A Public Institution
The farm bureau, therefore, as thus
developed, Is practically a public insti-
tuition, developed at the direct sugges-
ton of agents of Government for the
purpose of creating a channel through
which the practical results of research
work of Government might with Ger,
tainty reach the people for whom il
was intended.
why did the Federal and State Gov
ornaments develop such an organiza-
ton? Why did not they cooperate in
NhtSIlSlOh "olh tNIls Win liz
Grange in counties where the Grange
is strong, or with the Farmers Union
in counties where the Union is strons,
or with the Equity where the Equity
iC strong? The reason is Simple
enough. Practically all Of these are
secret organizations, or are exclusive
organizations, and since the work o,
The Federal and State Governments is
financed by all the people and in the
interest of all the people, these insti.
tutions felt the necessity of develop
ing a nOnClass, n%Onsecret, nOncOmmer-
Cial, and permanent institution open
to all the farmers in the county,
through which all could find express
sion and deal directly and in an o.
ganized way with the State colleges
and Federal Department Of Agricui-
lure.
Besides, none of the farmers Or
| CARNATIONS with which the department
was acquainted had been developed
with idea Of extension work in mind,
and the agents of the Government hes
itated to take up work with them, or
propose work to them which would
necessarily involve a redirection of
their organization, to say nothing OF
the ~jealOusies which might have been
created by apparent favoritisn in the
selection of ore organization in prefer
enCe to another.
The county farm bureau, therefore,
was created as and has become, essen
TALLY, a public institution very much
like a college of agriculture. A name
which better describes it's function pro
perly would be County Extension In
stItute' or County Agricultural Exten-
sion School, since the farm bureau is
essentially en- educational and teach
Zig institutional teaching institution
primarily for adults who have left
school, and n of the highest type
tnat the wcrld has ever seen on So
large a scale. The teaching is done
by the drawing-out process rather
than by the flling-up process. 1t is
done by the people themselves work.
ing as a full partner with the trained
agents of the Government, who in CO.
operation with these trained agents
develop programs of improvement ou,
Of their own needs, who assign their
Continued to page g.