Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-11-21
The Farm Bureau.

him an individualist. This has been
true for generations, more especially
so in the early days of this country.
The farmer was practically self-suf-
ficient raising his own food and
making his own clothing. AS the
country developed, great centers of
industry grew and gradually but
surely the farmer became more de-
pendent upon the town. The cen
tralization of the various industries
into great and strong corporations
meant that the individual farmers
must deal with powerful units with
which they were not fitted to cope.
Time after time big business has had
the upper hand in its dealings with
the farmer. On all big questions, in
dustry and various forms OF business
nave been always represented Cap
ital and labor have organized, and
their voice is heard on all questions
concerning the general public or
themselves, but in the past the voice
of agriculture has either been silent
or has been so weak as to be only
family heard. The farmer has
sensed the situation, and a desire
lol VI SdlilEdJlOiI llCo ClSpt llllO pC-
ing He is attempting to meet the
conditions brought about by con-
solidation in other lines of business,
by cooperation with his fellow pro
ducers in an organized way.
During the past few decades, many
movements have stirred in the
breasts of the farmers of this state
and nation, but none have had more
significance than the great Farm Blu
reau movement. The Farm Bureau
is outstanding in the fact that it is
one of the few great organizations
that has been built from the bottom
up rather than from the top down.
The root of this organization lies
in the rural communities. The COM
munities function with a community
program. The communities in turn
are united in county units, which are
in turn united in state declarations
that deal with problems of a state
wide nature, which are, in turn,
united in the American Farm Blu
reau Federation, the voice and cham
pion of American agriculture Any
organization built from the bottom
up is on firm foundation, and with
this stable beginning, the Farm Blu
reau has been making steady pro-
gross since it's birth
The Farm Bureau is non-political
rSanization-an organization that
takes the place of no other, but fits
in place all by itself.
The mission of the Farm Bureau is
to render service. 1t is not an upris
ing OF outraged farmers, nor is it an
organization to accumulate strength
to fight ''the other fellow" 1t sim
ply renders service to the agricul-
ture, that basic industry of this state
and nation on which all other in
dustries depend. Without prosper
GUS agriculture, other industries can
not enjoy prosperity, so the Farm
Bureau not only is a service Or
Sanization to agriculture, but to the
whole nation
The county Farm Bureau is
primarily an organization through
which extension work in agriculture
and home economics is done. The
problem of an adequate food supply
at fair prices is one of the biggest if
not the biggest before the country
hN iil iilo al Z Tie source Oh the
country's food supply and this source,
therefore, must be protected and de-
Veloped to meet the increasing
needs of the nation. The county
Farm Bureaus, through their agri-
cultural extension work, are on the
job at all times in helping solve the
farmers problems of production
Farming as business differs from
other lines of business in that the
home is an essential part of the en-
terprise, and, therefore, the county
Farm Bureaus, through their extern
sion work in home economics, are
playing very important part in the
upkeep of the rural home.
The boys and girls of to-day will
be the citizens of tomorrow. With
this in mind, the county Farm Blu
reaus are promoting boys and girls
club work.
The American Farm Bureau Fed
GRAFTON was organized in the winter
of 1919-20, and with it's organiza-
tions the farmers from New Hamp-
shire to California were bound to-
gether in an organization that was
natiOnalin character as we'll as name
The American Farm Bureau FEEDER
alton is the national spokesman for
the farmer, When President Calvin
Coolidge wants to know the real
agricultural situation and learn the
desires of agriculture, he calls in
Gray Silver, the Washington repre-
sentative of the Farm Bureau.
One of the things often asked re-
garding the Farm Bureau is what
line of Farm Bureau work are pub
lie funds devoted to? This can be
easily answered, as every cent of pub
lie money used by the Farm Bureau
is for extension work or educational
work and open to all citizens. The
funds from membership are used in
supporting county, state and national
organizations, and in most cases
many thousands of membership
funds are contributed annually to
support extension work.
One of the main reasons for the
utmost confidence of the farmers in