ASSOCIATION OF PRODUCERS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1920. UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call of the chairman, at 10.30 o'clock a. m., in committee room, Capitol, Senator George W. Norris presiding. Present: Senators Norris (chairman) and Walsh. There were also present Mr. Benjamin C. Marsh, secretary and director of legislation of the Farmers' National Council and secretary and director of legislation of the All-American Farmer-Labor Cooperative Commission. Mr. Nat T. Frame, representing the American Farm Bureau Federation. Mr. Charles A. Lyman, secretary of the National Board of Farm Organizations. Mr. A. M. Loomis, representing the National Grange.. STATEMENT OF MR. NAT T. FRAME, REPRESENTING THE AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION. Senator NORRIS. Mr. Frame, we understand you desire to be heard first. Whom do you represent? Mr. FRAME. I am here representing the American Farm Bureau Federation. Mr. Gray Silver is their regular representative. Senator NORRIS. What is that bureau? Mr. FRAME. It is a federation of State farm bureaus, representing 35 States, these State federations being made up of the county farm bureaus, the county farm bureaus in practically every case being closely identified with the county agent work. Senator WALSH. Will you please explain to us, before you pass that, just what the county farm bureau is and how it comes into existence? Mr. FRAME. There is a little variation in nearly every State; but in general the farm bureaus have grown up either on the basis of individual membership, where the farmers contribute from $1 to $10 on a county-wide basis to form the county farm bureau, or as in my own State of West Virginia the farm bureau is a federation of local community clubs. In the State of Massachusetts the farm bureau is an organization rather definitely recognized in the organic law as a governmental agency. Senator WALSH. That is, in the law of the State? 3 Senator WALSH. What relation do these farm bureaus bear to the Agricultural Department? Mr. FRAME. Most of them have contracts under the State extension privilege, which under the Smith-Lever Act represents the Agricultural Department in the States in doing agricultural and homeeconomics extension work, whereby the farm bureaus become semipartners of the department in carrying on this educational extension work. While there is no uniformity in the different States, I am giving you the general point of view that is probably more common, although there are States that differ quite radically. But in general the farm bureau secures from its membership fees and from county appropriations local funds toward the salary of the county agricultural agent, and they become in a sense partners therefore in the national extension service. Senator WALSH. Can you tell us something about the genesis of it? How did it come to be quite so general throughout the United States? Mr. FRAME. I think the first farm bureau was organized in the State of New York in March, 1913. That first organization was rather a city promoted movement, by the chamber of commerce, to create a farm bureau in the chamber of commerce. From that the movement spread, particularly to the Northern and Western States, and the farmers themselves pretty rapidly took over the movement, so that the farm bureau became a rather definite term in the minds of the farmers, to describe the local organization that was back of the county agent work. Senator WALSH. It seems to have been a kind of an organization that sprung up by reason of the Smith-Lever Act or concomitantly with it. Mr. FRAME. I will say that the Smith-Lever Act certainly gave a good deal of impetus to the farm-bureau movement as such. Senator WALSH. Proceed, please. Mr. FRAME. The farm bureaus in their capacity as private organizations, for which purpose they used the money raised by their membership fees to send their delegates to State meetings, and from those State meetings delegates have been selected to the national meeting, of which two have been held in Chicago-one last November and one in March. At these national meetings, as well as at the various State meetings, and in a very large number of county meetings, the principles of the Capper-Hersman bill, and the Capper-Hersman bill itself has been indorsed, so that it is very clearly the attitude of the American Farm Bureau Federation that legislation of the CapperHersman type is needed. Our organization was very enthusiastically interested in that particular bill. After numerous conferences and much correspondence with the officials of the national organization and of the State federation, and a great many of the counties, Mr. Gray Silver, the Washington representative, gave his indorsement to the so-called substitute bill that we now have before us. Senator NORRIS. That is S. 4344, as I understand, a bill prepared by Mr. Volstead of the House Judiciary Committee and introduced in the Senate by Senator Capper? |