Imperial Valley press., 1938-04-24
A Regular Feature
OF The
Sunday Post-Prcss
By RALPH IL. TAYLOR


shows OF the West
Such was the comment of veteran
judges ana leading livestock men
who attended the Eleventh Annual
Interstate Junior Livestock ShoW
which was held last week at the
Union Stockyards, South San Fran
cisco.
More than 1000 Future Farmers
and All club memberS-repreSent-
ing California, Nevada. Oregon,
Utah. Idaho and Montana-partici-
pated in the big show
And they brought with them APP
proXimately 5000 head of baby beef,
lambs and hogs, which won high
commentator and a splendid array
of blue ribbons from such top-flight
judges as DR.. Elmer E. Hughes and
Professor Robert F. Miller of the
College of Agriculture at Davis, and
DR. Howard Gramlich. head of the
animal huSbandry department Of
the University of Nebraska.
The youngsters put on a show
which demonstrated that the West
has a crop of new farmers coming
up who will make many of the
oldsters in the industry look 20
their laurelS!
There is reason for justifiable
pride in the fine progress achieved
in the training of tomorrow's far
merS by such organizations as the
All boys and girls and the Future
Farmers of America. They are the
proving ground for young Ameri-
cans who are learning by doing;
who will reach maturity. not only
we'll equipped by reason of practical
experience and scientific instruction.
but who will enter the game of
life self-reliant and determined TO
make good on their own initiative.
But older heads in the farming
industry, returning from a show like
the South San Francisco event to
read headlines announcing that
dairymen are faced with hot milk
threats from belligerent labor lead
ers and that San Francisco is ac-
cused of bowing the knee to "a
government" which is deter
mined to rule or ruin, may well
wonder concerning the future of
agriculture. The future farmers
will be better farmers than those
of today of that there can be little
doubt. But whether future condi-
tions will make for success or fail
ure in the farming industry de
pendS. to large extent. on the cour-
age and reSourcefulneSS with which
todays farmers meet tOday's prob
lens.
If our farmers of the future are
to be forced to yield the manage
ment of their farms to city labor
bosses who have no knowledge OF
farming and no sympathy with farm
problems. then there will be no
future in farming.
If the CLOSED shop" and the
union hiring hall are to be fore
ed on agriculture, with the result
that farm workers are made sub
ject to the whims and prejudiceS of
hiring hall bosses, and farmers are
denied the right to employ the men
best suited to work on their farms.
then even the best equipped far
mers of tomorrow are foredoomed
to failure
The way of the farmer never has
been an easy way but there have
been compensations.
Farmers probably since time be-
gan. have worked longer hours than
city Notwithstanding from sunup
to sundown. battling high water
and freezing weather in the winter
and harvesting their crops under
a blistering sun in the summer.
They have paid far more than their
just proportion of taxes. because
farms cannot hide out in vaults
at tax-collection time and tax pay
mentS can not be paSSei on as in
other businesses and industries.
But every farmer. at least in tim,
past, has nOurished the hop
whether or not he ever realized it,
that at the end of some harvest
season he would pay off the final
note at the bank and look out over
his acres knowing that he oWnc !
them-that he had achieved a de
gree of independence and a fair
measure of security as a reward for
his years of labor.
II is a hard Uav b,It q oo19 ,,,o,,