The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1921-03-24
Proposed Dispensing With
Co. Agents Causes Discussion

are usually open minded. It is very
hard, especially in Stearns county, to
do great deal of personal service
and manual labor to individual far
mers for the county is the second
largest in the state, in numbers of
improved farms and farmers. Our
county is twice as large in that re-
spect as the average county. The
1920 census shows Stearns county to
have 1898 improved farms. How
can one agent make personal visits
of any length to that number of far
mers in a year, and still carry ont
the rest of his work also?
In one sense the agent is really to
work only with the members of the
Bureau, and, as matter of fact, the
Farm Bureau members have largely
been given fair service. Those re-
luctant farmers of the county who
are not members of the Farm Bureau
should not be disposed to say much
against the county agent for they are
in one sense disinterested parties and
have not reason to pass opinion.
1t is rather iniudicious to put the
county agent proposition to a vote
and have everybody vote on it, those
who have authority to speak, as well
as those who have not. When our
voters decide to abolish the county
agent work, they should bear in mind
that they are not taxing themselves
a great deal for this work.
When the average county in the
state, which is only half as large as
ours, feels amply justified in support
ing the county agent, a large county
like ours, which should really have
two agents, to put the work on the
same effective basis as it is in the
average county, should not feel it a
burden to carry only one agent.
We will quote some of the reasons
that we find, since the election, that
the people have had for voting this
proposition down. The first and
..sesesaost reason-is that there lis a
feeling that the county agent has not
paid a personal visit to every farmer
and given him some personal service
in physical way or otherwise. The
information quoted above will easily
show this is impossible. Everyone
who wishes the services of the county
agent should first of all, become a
member of the Farm Bureau; second,
he should solicit the agents services.
That is the surest way Of getting
personal service. If it is not always
possible even then to get it, it must
be remembered that year after year
the program of work of the Farm
Bureau is increasing, whereas, the
agents ability to do work can hardly
increase, in fact, for the amount of
work he has had to do year after
year the funds on which he has to
work have been becoming smaller, in
proportion to what they sho, ID. 1t is
pretty hard, to expect hrss class SER
vice from an organization which has
only very limited funds to work on.
AS stated above, to give the far
mers of this county the service in
that respect, that the farmers in the
average county of the state are get
ting we need two men, for our coun-
ty is twice as large as the average
one. 1t is hardly fair or wise to de-
mand first class service of an organ
ization and provide only a limited
amount of money for it to work on.
The question as it stands, then re-
solves itself to this, should adequate
funds be provided SO as to give the
proper amount Of service such as the
farmers seem to think they should
have, if the county agent work is in
operation at all. Should the work be
continued as in the past, or should it
be discontinued entirely This is a
verv important question. Several
things are yet to be stated on this
question and so as not to make dis
cussion too lengthy, they will be set
forth next week at which time a pro-
position will be advanced on this
matter and explanations set forth on
the stand that will be taken.