The Delta independent., 1924-03-14
FARMING AS A BUSINESS
REQUIRES BUSINESS METHODS

Is farming a business or a charity
or community institution? Farming
Is as much Of an industrial institu.
ton as the manufacturing Of steel.
Every farmer is a small factory and
| every farmer small captain of in
| dustry- The farmer takes the God
given raw material and out of which
| he makes or constructs the most
completed article. Farming is q most
technical business. 1t has many
sides. Production is only one side.
Selling is only one phase. Farming
is the most complicated and intricate
manufacturing industry in our coun-
-! try.
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
completeness with which our pro
duction end has been developed can
be understood when we realize that
the American farmer produces over
IS per cent more per man than the
European tiller OF the soil Why this
great difference Because the Amer
lean farmer has applied his talents to
large production. Quantity has been
his motto. Where does the farmer
stand as salesma for his finished
products? That is a serious question.
The farmer does not stand here at
all. Every industry has It on him
here. The farmer has been too busy
producing to know anything about
marketing or selling. He has neg
lected the other half Of agricul
ture." That is the REAL weakness
Of the present order Of farm econo-
mics.
Radical leadership offers nothing
their theoretical remedies avail moth
ing against this lack Of proper organ
ization OF marketing and salesman
ship necessary to dispose Of a farm
crop by ordinary business methods.
Farmers must learn the lessons Of
salesmanship. II is their job. SUI
perricial remedies will do no good.
Putting the cart before the horse will
not guide the load to market Farm
ing is business proposition.lt re-
quires business methods to formu-
late new a nd better ways OF dispos-
ing of farm crops Who will do it?
Business men with wide experience.
Honest, Industrious. conscientious.
Level headed business men. Men with
initiation, with vision, with pep.
Political leaders pretend to know
the farmers troubles. They propose
to tell him how TO operate his bust
ness but could they do better II they
were in his placer Certainly not! 1t
is n question OF balancing his busi-
ness. A problem Of economics is in
volved. OF distribution, OF salesman
ship-these and many more are in
cluded in the list and must be remed-
led before proper relief can be found
for the farmer. What the farmer
needs is not more advice, but a pro
gram OF his own-a plan TO develop
his business as other industry has
been developed. 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 well being. Farmers
should be chary of any farm organ
izer who proposes to put the business
men and the farmer at sword points.
They must cooperate, Their inter
ests 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 few would-be leaders wills
would build farm organization on
hate and envy. the lower and ouser
L u.