The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1924-01-24
FARMING AS A BUSINESS
REQUIRES BUSINESS METHODS

Is farming business or charity
or community institution? Farming
is as much of an industrial institution
as the manufacturing of steel. Every
farm is small factory and every
farmer small captain of industry
The farmer takes the God given raw
material and out of which he makes
or constructs the most completed ar
z ticle. Farming is a most technical
business. 1t has many sides. Produc-
, ton is only one side.-s Selling is on
ly one phase. Farming is the most
complicated and intricate n,anufactur-
ing industry in our country.
4 Are the farmers business men? In
many ways they stand far ahead OF
other industrial workers. In others
they stand at the foot of the class.
The manufacturing of their products
has taken on a finished air. The COM
pleteness with which our production
end has been developed can be under
stood when we realize that the Amer
lean farmer produces over 2S percent
more per man than the European till
er of the soil. Why this great differ
ence? Because the American farm
er has applied his talents to large pro-
duction. Quantity has been his motto
Where does the farmer stand as a
salesman for his finished products
That is serious question. The far
cry industry has it on him here. The
9 farmer has been too busy producing
to know anything about marketing or
selling. He has neglected the "other
half of agriculture" That is tn e
of Nv>I<
farm economics. .... .
Radical leadership offers nothing
here. Political spell binders with
d their theoretical remedies avail moth
ing against this lack of proper or
ganization of marketing and sales
manship necessary to dispose of a
farm crop by ordinary business meth
DDS. Farmers must learn the lessons
of salesmanship. 1t is their job. Su-
i. perficial remedies will do not good
Putting the cart before the horse will
not guide the load to market Farm.
ing is a business proposition. It re-
quires business methods to formulate
new and better ways of disposing Of
farm crops. Who will do it? Busi-
ness men with wide experience. Hon.
est, Industrious, conscientious, level
headed business men. Men with ini-
tiation, with vision, with pep. al
Political leaders pretend to know
the farmers troubles, they propose to
tell him how to operate his business
but could they do better if they were
. in his place? Certainly not! It is a
question of balancing his business. A
problem Of economics is involved. OF
distribution, of salesmanship-th these
and many more are included in the
I list and must be remedied before the
proper relief can be found for the far
mer. t' 81
What the farmer needs is not more
advice, but program of his Own-a
plan to develop his business as other
industry has been developed. Business
methods applied to disposing of his
crops. Business methods applied to
all phases of his farming.
This being true, the farmers best
advice must come from his business
men friends who know his condition
His banker, his merchant, all are in
terested in his we'll being. Farmers
should be chary of any farm organic
er who proposes to put the business
men and the farmer at sword points
The farmers and the business mer
must cooperate. Their interests are
mutual. A good feeling among all
lines of industry spells prosperity
The line of demarcation between the
business men and the farmer never
has existed only in the minds of g
few would-be leaders who would builc
farm organization on hate and en-.
Wy, the lower and baser elements OF
the human mind. .'T..fI