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Show COUNTY AGENT THOMAS GIVES HISTORY OF WEBER COUNTY FARM BUREAU, FIRST TO BE ESTABLISHED IN STATE OF UTAH (By W. P. THOMAS.) j 1915 Weber county organized tho first county farm bureau in the state of Utah, July 31, 1915, the organization j providing for a president, vice president, presi-dent, sccreta'ry-treasurer, a board of directors di-rectors and county project committeemen. committee-men. Each local bureau is organized with ' a president, vice president, secretary-treasurer and coram iiteemen to correspond with the county projects, the president of the local bureau act-ling act-ling as county director; the county organization or-ganization functioning principally , through the locals. The board of directors di-rectors outlined and decided upon a program of work and approved county committeemen as recommended by the executive committee. D. D. McKay, of Huntsville, was elected president; James 11. Beus. of Hooper, vice president, presi-dent, and W. N. Pettcrson, secretary-treasurer. secretary-treasurer. State Leader R. J. Evans had. previous pre-vious to this date, conferred with Mr-McKay Mr-McKay and had drawn up tentative plans for the organization. W. P Thomas was appointed county agent eariy in July and began immediately consulting with prominent men of the couhty in preparation to tho organization organiza-tion of the bureau. The program of work for iho remainder of the season was the perfecting of the organization throughout the entire county. The bureau bu-reau officers made special effort to obtain ob-tain tho strongest, most influential men in the county as local presidents. 1016 At annual meeting, held December, De-cember, 1915, the same officers were re-elected for the coming year with a membership of 320, and selected the following program: Weed Eradication, Potato Growing, Marketing of Sugar Beets, Drainage, Rural Credits and Picnics and Excursions. All the projects proj-ects were successful, especially good results hninrr nhtninrcl in a countv- wide weed project, seed potato demonstrations demon-strations on disease control, sale of sugar beet crop and picnics and excursions. excur-sions. Weber county being the first bureatu in the state, took the initiative initia-tive in oganizing tho Utah State Bu-rreau, Bu-rreau, which was accoplished in the fall of 191G. 1917 President and vice president re-elected, June Andrews elected sec rotary-treasurer, a membership of 902 or 70 per cent of the farmers in the county. Program of work chosen: Marketing, Weeds, Potato Seed Treatment, Treat-ment, Increased Production, Co-operative Buying, Rural Credits and excursions. excur-sions. The outstanding feature for this year was the big financial returns of the work and the writing and ac ceptance of a growers' contract. Tho marketing of sugar beets, tomatoes, apricots, apples, potatoes and dairy products returned an increase of $255,-000.00. $255,-000.00. Returns from previous seed potato treatment demonstrations and increased yield $107,740.00 saving through co-operative buying ?S300.00, totaling 5371,490.00. To incrcaso production, as a war measure, the bureau supplied seed and finances for planting crops, secured for farm work 675 laborers, the campaign cam-paign resulting In an increased acreage acre-age of 3300 acres. Five farm loan associations were organized or-ganized in the county. The weed campaign cam-paign was conducted as In the pre vious year with much better results-An results-An eight hundred mile excursion into' Idaho was very successfully conducted conduct-ed during the summer. In April an assistant county ngent, L. M. Price, and in August of the same year a home demonstration agent, Edna M. Ladwig, wer.D appointed and the Women's farm bureau organized in December. Ar-j rangements were made In this year for a county club leader, A. I. Tippetts, to begin work January 1, 191S. In general the 1917 program was very successful and showed a marked growth in bureau work. 191S President and vice president re-elected, with M, K. Jacobs, of Riv- crdale. as secretary-treasurer, and a membership of 906. A change was made in the method of adopting program pro-gram of work from that of directors of the bureau members selecting their own program. Under the new lorm the board of directors merely outlined tho outstanding problems of the county. coun-ty. The county agent, home agent and club agent then visited each local organization, or-ganization, meeting with the executive execu-tive committee, outlining a proposed program of work for that town; then submitting same at meeting of members. mem-bers. After all local programs of work I were decided upon, the county board 'of directors selected from them the I county program of work. The pro-I pro-I grain of work outlined: Cost of Pro-jducing Pro-jducing Crops' in Weber. County, Mar- keUng. Tomato Variety Test-, Irriga- tion. Increased Meat Production. Eradication Erad-ication of Noxious Weeds, Rodent , Control and Co-operative Buying. The icost of producing tomatoes, sugar I beets, potatoes, peas, alfalfa and grain I was determined by eighty-six co-oper-.ators keeping cost records. This data i collected formed the basis for the sale of these crops- Bureau committeemen committee-men successfully negotiated the sale of sugar beets, canning crops and market mar-ket milk to the value of $2,400.000 00. Nine demonstrations, using seven varieties va-rieties and 25.Q00 plants, were run to (demonstrate tho kind of tomato to grow in this section. Investigational work on irrigation showed the amount of water decreed, the acres irrigated and the cost of litigation. A campaign on increasing the meat production in the county resulted in an Increase of 744S hogs and 78,249 chickens. A rodent ro-dent control campaign eradicated 65 per cent of the ground squirrels in the county, or a saving of $320.00 per ounce of strychnine used. The bureau incorporated a company to handle the buying and selling. 1919 The same officers were re- elected. The form of organization va? jH changed to a family-type, including tho men, the women and the boys and girls. The number on the executive committee was increased two, allow-ing allow-ing for representation of the women and the boys aud girls' club work. fW During the year tho positions ot VM home agent and club leader were u catcd, and later filled by Ellen Aren and A, J. Taylor. Previous to 1919 the three depart- M mcnts were maintained separately jf I the men's department deciding upon ! its, program of work and selecting lis jU county and local committeemen to puc i the work across, the other two depart ' meats using similar methods. I'ndcr the family-type of organization tho es . mm lira work is conducted under the cite? organization, program Oi work, J-ssS1-! county ar;i loccil, decided upon j committeemen selected conjointly. jH After five years of organization jW Weber county farm bureau Is now ii I a position to create and direct, publjcj opinion within the county; it supplies its members with an organization ta M better produce and market its crop and provides an agency to work oc: I any community problem .that the' pao pic desire. vM The method of work in the family type of organization is as follows: IH An executive committee of fh& IH members plan county program ot ,H work, select county project chairmen, )H approve county co-operators and dem- ! onstrators, and plans submitted by ilH county project committeemen, and se- ; euro the necessary finances to carry on the work of the county bureau. ijH A board of directors determines the j general policies of the work, decide il i upon program, approve work done by 'H executive and county committees. 11 The county project chairman and lo- IH cal committeemen work out and ban- mU die the details of the county projects. The county chairman and, the local committeemen in each local select the Mmm co-operators and demonstrators and H decide upon the details of the project in each community. jH |
