Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1921-02-03
FOSTER A COMMUNITY SPIRI,
County Agent Notes

/ LIZ you huOW your ARC
you linked together not necessarily
by intermarriage but by community
clubs, organizations or associations?
Is your community one in which each
member is for HIMSELF; is there
no cooperative or community spirit;
is there no way by which you as a
community can use the agricultural
agencies placed at your disposal?
In the northern counties of Wiscon-
sin, some of which have as low as
400 farmers, the Agricultural Agent
can easily make the rounds several
times year. In Iowa County where
there are about $500 farmers, the
county agent making personal visits
could not get around in year.
Arena Agricultural Association
We have in this county at Arena
a recently organized association the
purpose of which you will see is to-
build up that community in an agri-
cultural way. It's objects as out
lined in the Constitution reads as
follows
Sec. L. '"The object of this or
ganization is to improve farming
conditions in this and closely related
communities, and to this end the men,
bers mutually resolve to work to-
gether to attain the following ends,
(a) To provide for the more
general and intelligent use of the
agencies at hand that have for their
purpose the promotion of better az
riculture, such as the County Agent.
the Rural School, the High School,
the State Agricultural School, the De-
partments of Agriculture, both State
and National, together with their
farm bulletins, etc.
CD To install systems of
checking and sets of records in our
present cooperative enterprises that
will tend to increase their efficiency,
protect us against carelessness, fraud
, and dishonesty and secure our en-
ployees against unjust criticism and
suspicion.
Co To improve and conserve
the fertility of our soils by fostering
soil testing, application of the nee
essary fertilizer, and systematic crop
rotation
ca To promote the use of bet
ter seeds and thereby secure larger
and better crops.
(e) To improve our farm herds
both as to quality and breeding.
f) To encourage practical col
lective bargaining in the purchase of
seeds, feeds, fertilizer, etc., either
through our local dealer, county
agent, or other outside agencies.
co To help develop practical
systems of cooperative marketing
: for our farm products.
CHI To maintain a local bureau
of exchange to bring buyer and sell
Ter together.
d Cd To encourage and promote
S better citizenship and a helpful, ag
Y reSS1Ve community spirit.
Officers of the organization are B..
E. Ellington, pres; C. J. Lampman,
: vice pres; j. M. Bolon, sec.-treas.;
, Hugh Robert, asst. sec.
There are six local organizations
i each of which has it's own officers.
, The Arena Agricultural Associa-
ton was organized by B. E. Billing
ton, farmer, George l.. Barrett,
: principal of schools, and j. M. Bolon,
I the agricultural instructor.
J! Does this association mean to do
away with the local dealer? No, not
necessarily Amy dealer would rath-
er order what the farmer wants and
: when he wants it, and sell direct
: from the car He can afford to sell
: for smaller margin by so doing
/. than by storing a carload of feed for
y months, taking chances on decline in
E prices and having his money invested
What the Arena farmers have done
farmers in any community can do.
dill LOlu LudI IHey nave Oluclcu
Y two carloads of best quality of cot
ton seed meal, one car of -four and
= middlings, one car of oats, one Of
corn, and one of bran and oil meal.
The result is more and better feeding
of farm stock. Oil meal is selling
there for about $4,000, while in an
other community where / happened
to be lately it was selling for $4,000,
and there is but little sold. One far
mer has discontinued to feed any
grain ration due to the high prices.
I'm sure he would be feeding if cot
ton seed meal were selling at $4,000
and oil meal $4,000
If there are farmers in any COM