The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-04-05
DO WE FULLY APPRECIATE
MONTANA LEADERSHIP?
(Great Falls Tribune)

MONTANA LEADERSHIP?
(Great Falls Tribune)
The news story which The
Tribune published yesterday an
nouncing the Europeon tour of NJ.
L. Wilson of Montana. nationally
known agricultural economist,
part of which is being made in
response to an invitation from the
soviet government of Russia, re-
yeals a fact which too few Mont
anans realize. In this state, at
our agricultural college and in our
agricultural extension service, we
have developed some of the most
capable farm-crop specialists in
the World-men who + more in
terested in the particular service
they can perform for their fellow
men than in any selfish gain-and
their counsel is widely sought.
NJ. l.. Wilson is an outstanding
example, but he is not the only
one whose fame has gone beyond
our boundaries.
There is the case of A. J..
Ogaard, agronomist, who left the
Montana extension service two or
three years ago to become secre-
tary of a national pure seed as
sociation. His salary in Montana
state service was probably not
more than $500 a month, but it
was several times that when he
became an official of a private cor
poration.
Over at Bozeman, at the present
time, there are several professors
in the agricultural service, all or
whom have contributed, through
their skill and capacity for re-
search and experimentation, know
ledge that has meant an increase
of hundreds of thousands of dol
lars to the income of Montana
farmers. Large corporations and
state colleges elsewhere are try
ing to get these men away from
us. Their value to the develop
ment of agriculture is appreciated
throughout the country except,
perhaps, in Montana, where it has
been of the greatest help.
During the last year or two sew
eral of the county agents have
left the extension service to
affiliate with private organizations
some with railway companies,
some with business firms-all at
much higher salaries than the
state and counties will pay.
There are limits, of course, to
which the state may go in match
ing the salaries offered by bust
ness organizations, and too, there
is always the possibility that the
state positions can be filled with
as sincere and energetic and
broad-visioned young men as those
who have moved on. But it is
only a possibility, and if it does
not materalize the people OF
Montana-particularly the farmers
are the losers.
The Tribune is prompted to
mention this situation only be-
cause it feels Montanans gener-
ally do not appreciate what an
exceptional agricultural college,
experimental station and extension
service has been built up in this
state, and, that we r not alert
we should be to the necessity
of protecting it against the over
lures of other states, other gov
ernments and big business or
CARNATIONS who know the proper
value of the specialists and are
willing to pay the price to get
them.
1t is not sound economy for
Montana, considering the present
precarious situation in which ag-
riculture generally is in, to cut
down its expenditures on the
agricultural college, it's expert
mental stations, and the agricul-
tural extension service.
While we believe that NJ. L.
Wilson's trip to Europe will, in
the long run, be of tremendous
benefit to Montana, because he
will bring back some mighty valu-
able information for Montana
farmers, it should not be over
looked that we have had a mighty
close shave in the matter of losing
him altogether. His knowledge of
Montana conditions, his compre-
hensiye understanding of world
economies as applied to the wheat