NFO-247 (AV10750): US Farm Report: Agriculture's Veteran Field Men

[music] hi everybody and welcome to us farm report on this occasion a number of field leaders in the national farmers organization gentlemen who work in the field staff department have gathered at national headquarters in Corning Iowa for a special meeting and it's our pleasure on this week's US farm report to talk to a number of these field staff leaders for example my first two guests are mr. Noah Sug Noah comes from North Carolina and next to Noah is mr. George Styles of Kentucky Noah George a real pleasure to welcome you to our show thank you what first attracted you to the National Farmers Organization the first attraction to NFO was the hope and I believe that most of all was the chance of holding on your own head up and saying that this was one time you could work fight for what you believed to be the right thing to do they work for your family our future and to build and help build history what about you George no question Noah's right on this bill I have a family and I own the farm and I think my footsteps are the right direction or I felt that when I took this position as farmer and I think it's a wonderful place to raise children no place greater and actually a little selfish I won't see my children be able to come back home after they get through school and federal right there this is where I want them to do and it's the only way out so they can do it Noah you too have been an active farmer and have a family right right how big is your family laughs I have children and it's uh it's a family for which you as you say hold out some hope and you find that hope through NFO I certainly do now let me ask you fellas about the farmers in your area Noah why do you feel that the farmers in your region should have the same attitude toward NFO that you do I believe basically they have the very same thing in mind that they would like for their children to remain on the farms they would like to arm to be able to look forward to something and instead of that children having to migrate to the cities and therefore they have no training when they leave to the farm to go to the cities they are here they have been trained to have the right atmosphere to grow up we can enjoy but we can't enjoy without prices George Noah has just brought up a most interesting subject and a subject I know is very close to your heart particularly since you have just returned from Washington DC where you talked with legislators concerning the farm coalition bill now you told me that you had some interesting discussions with some of the urban national legislators and you discovered that these urban legislators on the national scene are indeed interested in the farm problem why don't you tell our audience about that we actually went there to visit our own rule congressmen and Senators well you won't call it lobbying i call it just talking to plain politics maybe that's what you want to call it but some of us ventured out and went to see our city college members I call it city rather than urban I'm a little countrified maybe and surprisingly when we got there they were very much interested they were happy we came talking about the farm bill because nobody else would talk to them about the farm situation was number one but the main thing they don't want any more of these rural people wedged in their cities they already have unemployment they don't know what to do with and they don't want us to come in there well now we do know that about 2,500 farm families are leaving the farms of America each week and I guess that we can safely presume that these farmers when they leave the farm most of them at least go to the urban areas bill we have five percent of our population on the part of that five percent over half of the poverty of the United States is there half of the poor housing is on the farm and they realize in the rural in the cities that that half of that population may move in only many days that certainly is contributing to what we have come to know as the urban crisis that is so right you know you fellas have to be very dedicated about NFO to work the way you do how often are you home Noah I'm home all weekend and that's about it you're sort of a traveling salesman well we could say that now you live in North Carolina and you work in about what 25 or 30 counties of the state of Virginia that's right and what about you George there's a little bit of a sore subject with my wife no she said she's an NFO widow yes I imagine that's not a bad phrase to apply to it but without her I couldn't leave she sees to the farm I'm trying to work over four states Kentucky Tennessee North and South Carolina wonderful bunch of people to work with fascinating words I've never seen anything like it and I think I'm doing a job that cannot be beat anywhere on earth as a service to my people Noah what kind of acceptance of NFO are you feeling at this time in the state of Virginia I feel acceptance in Virginia is working very well the people are accepting it as their only answer their only hope they see that without something to help them that they're going and this cannot continue this Exodus that's been going on in fact we've been turned into and told to be accountable istic group of people to devour each other and to take over each other's farms in fact to grow bigger and to actually buy this self-destruction we could reach success and this they found is not success but failure in itself and so they are accepting NFO and accepting it as the only hope what kind of farmers are joining NFO Noah how would you describe the farmer who is joining NFO and Virginia today I found that all types are joining we have a farmer as a farmer where though wherever you find him he has the same problems regardless of what he farms what commodity he's dealing with it's a very same problem new price because he has absolutely no power in the marketplace as an individual what about you George in the state of Kentucky and in the four states in which you're working hard what kind of acceptance are you finding among the farmers for NFO at this time I find that the younger people picked this up sooner than older person most of these older people are looking for retirement plans Social Security to come through or they're looking for a job in the city somewhere but the younger person has just started in farming he's very much interested in doing something because he sees what their other people the other young people that get out of college that go to the urban areas nazy they see the salary they're getting they know what's happening and they feel like it should happen on the farm I see the younger a lot of college graduates out in Allen Dale County South Carolina we have the chairman there that is a college graduate from Clemson College the vice chairman is a graduate of Clemson College the secretary is a graduate of the Clemson College this is what I'm feeling and this impresses me we're getting the cream of the crop you're working in recruiting aren't you George just started this I have been to three colleges in Kentucky and I am amazed at the number of ladies young ladies that know something should be done on the farm and they feel like they can talk to the farm ladies this is something I don't know what will happen we're waiting to see and I think we're gonna get quite a few young man to Noah you are also recruiting in Virginia but your recruiting is of a different nature than Georgia's you are recruiting are you not your own fellow NFO members right you need their help and what would you say to those watching today in that regard I would say that everyone that enrolls NFO but they are workers potential workers and unless they can realize their responsibility for themselves then to the fellow men then NFO couldn't work it has to work by them they are the key the key to the success of any farm organization to NFO we have to have complete cooperation as one another working with each other and this is for them to learn and to go out and teach their fellow farmers and to take the responsibility and use the ability that they have to work within their own county and within their own state and to help recruit workers to go out outside the counties and also to help their I think we would be remiss if we were not to mention the fact that you Noah represent your own state of North Carolina on the board of directors of NFO that's right isn't it yes and I know that you're enjoying serving in that capacity - are you not quite an honor George it's been a pleasure Yubel thank you very much for being on our show and Noah many thanks to you thank you Bill my next two guests are Alfred Sug and Paul Fulkerson fellows it's a pleasure to welcome you to us farm report of course Alfred this is my first meeting with you but I feel like I'm an old friend of Paul's having run into Paul of convention and in his home state of Kentucky at Louisville how is your son getting along but his name Ricky Ricky wrote a special poem for Convention which we put on film and which he presented by the way to the full convention there at Louisville so you should be very proud of him that's right I am down you farm a couple of hundred acres Alfred in North Carolina and you're a cousin of Noah's who appeared earlier on our show what kind of farming do you do there well it's basically tobacco we grow up many soybeans corn little livestock few peanuts in that area of course we depend highly on tobacco and it's like all the other crops the lists are in trouble same problem oh we've been averaging well eighteen twenty years ago we were averaging 70-72 cents for the tobacco What are you getting today? About 72 cents and look what's happened to the economy and those year run and how much more it's costing you to operate right it's the same old story everywhere isn't that squeezed everywhere it has indeed your cattle man aren't you Paul well a little bit Bill yeah how's it going and Kentucky in the cattle business yeah pretty good real good\Paul how long have you been a member of NFO well how long i've been a member will soon be nine years what attracted you initially well it was my father he oh he was a railroader and I've heard him say lots of times and if the farmers ever had an organization like anybody else wouldn't have to work for nothing so I took it up yeah how long have you been a member Alfred well I paid my third-year news well you're a fairly recent member but a three-year-old member in some parts of the country is kind of an old-timer Paul too you know that's right on what part of the country you're in that's right what attracted you to it you've already told me in effect you talked about the price situation and I don't want to answer the question for you but I presume that you were attracted by the fact that NFO is trying to make some motions toward getting some fair prices for your commodity that's true Bill oh for years I was farm didn't realize that I was begging and we had some fellows from outside our state come in and told we fellas down North Carolina that we were begging and I thought begging you're supposed to get out\ on the street you know and hold up the cup and sell pencils so I found out that there's a way to correct this injustice that we've been doing it marketplace for a long time and I thought would be accused one the jumping up change and this is just a little heck of a change I think it's a kind of Christian movement as far as I'm concerned and I saw a chance to help myself my family and my neighbors what does it mean to you Paul well bill it means a whole lot to me in fact this the first thing it means a better future for everybody even the city people as far as that's concerned another thing I consider myself as a second-class citizen and automatically when a man goes to market place and says wanted to give me he is well he believes it or not because nobody else does it but the farmer so I'm glad to get out of that position and above all I'd like for my boy to farm yes and I could give him my farm now and he couldn't farm it because with inheritance tax he got to pay he just couldn't make it what about your job Paul with the NFO now are you ever at home anymore yeah I'm gonna home all once well I would say once in two weeks once in a while I'll get home two or three weekends at a time but very seldom you have to be a pretty dedicated guy to do that in my opinion what what is your title and exactly what do you do I'm an executive assistant to the National Field Staff Department well what does this entail well I'm all asking the bird dog feel I guess you'd call it I don't recruit workers anywhere that they have a problem why I try to help them out even make it worse where we can better and just whatever comes up mainly and recruiting workers train supervise whatever they have to do what kind of territory do you cover I cover uh Mississippi Alabama Georgia and Florida Alfred is your work similar to Paul's been told my title was a regional supervisor and I cover all the territory I can in North and South Carolina which is quite a territory but basically I'm pretty sure as close Paul's recruit train and supervise and but NFO down our way I told you I paid my third-year dues and we have half our counties in our state North Carolina chartered we are working pretty good in South Carolina right now well that was my next question in fact than you anticipated I was going to ask you about how membership is coming along and how well in in North Carolina NFO is being accepted these days good in fact we had DFR Mr. Worthmills paper said he live right on the north from South Caroline oh I remember one day particular in row 11 memo system membership dues was raised from 25$ to 75$ we see no difference at all if a man understands 25 he'll jump for 75$ he's reasonable yes same man went out the very next day in the same county in the wrote 11 more about 26 contacts 22 or three members of others right then that's coming on pretty well now Paul what about your area what sort of acceptance are you feeling we've done the bill the next day after the membership dues when I enrolled a man a second man to talk to on the new agreement and it's just a matter getting around seeing them and they don't realize today what they can do for themselves through the organization and it's like Alfred said if a man gave 25 if he's reasonable he'll give 75$ even 175$ in order to save his farming operation so works they're accepting it real good in my territory Paul Alfred I want to thank both of you for being my guests today on us farm report it's good to get a report from North Carolina Alfred and certainly nice Paul see you again glad to be here to play same team now ladies and and I would like for you to meet Fred Lucas and Keith Eminheiser well both of you fellas are from Indiana now where do you live in Indiana I live in the southwestern part bill how about you Keith pretty much the Northeast well you're a few miles apart I presume then you fellas didn't know each other and we're not friends until NFO it's correct very NFO buddies now tell me this Fred what is your job with the the field staff of NFO well primarily as late it's been recruiting especially going before the placement bureaus and the colleges and interviewing the college boys and of course we're in a tremendous schedule right now in placing boys in every one to four County area in the United States and we're putting them quite a few on well what about you Keith are you doing much the same in your own territory very very much the same well being New York at the University of New York and University of Maine and VPI in Virginia here in a very short order and I think I should have asked each of you exactly what territories you've covered here you are an Indiana but you're really operating in the northeastern part of the country how many states do you cover up there Keith well I guess about ten or eleven some of them get a little small in that territory but nevertheless that's a lot of a lot of square mileage to cover I would say yes it is how much territory you covering Fred Indiana Ohio and Michigan and part of Northern Kentucky and a little part of Illinois well now what success is each of you having and recruiting these young college people Fred well of course we've always had some sort of program to recruit to college help but never as extensive as extensive as we put on lately and I would say that the results really have been tremendous in that the college boys now are beginning to grasp this modern look in agriculture a new area here that the farmers are realizing that they're going to have to do if they intend to be as strong as their competitors to get a price and even some of the professors like to converse quite a bit about national farmers organization and progress the supply contracts and so on yes and this inner-city college boy is very much in marketing sales promotion the Personnel Management and quite a few other things well now my guess would be that recruiting is much easier for you Fred out in the Midwest than for Keith in the East am i right about that you are correct on that bill it's it's a little more difficult I do believe because of the different opportunities that large cities have for paying these people but we have been able to recruit and train real good young individuals to come on into agriculture and accept the challenge that is presented to them oh boy you know I really don't envy either of you your job in this regard because it would seem to me that competition has to be very keen at this time for these young people coming out of college all industries need young well-educated talented capable people just as agriculture needs this type of individual so you're really in there in some tough competition aren't you yes but the one thing that so many people overlook bill is that in NFO in working with the National Farmers Organization it is something that is brand new it's something that these young people enjoy doing because if the challenge presented to them it's it's not like going into a daily routine that's been here for literally hundreds of years now I know that you fellows have to be aware of membership in your areas what about membership in the northeast Keith I've been very happy and especially with the state of Maine in a state of Maine we've had contracts already on potatoes mm-hmm as well as blueberries and we are now in the process of moving milk but the regional supervisor in a state of Maine just recently enrolled four members in one day and one of these members has more blueberries in our total supply contract last year that's right and so it is the large progressive farmers that is joining you know NFO what about you Fred what kind of membership increases of you recognized in your part of the country well in the in the old areas of NFO I think that what what's happened here because of the dues increase is farmers that have held back and we're kind of wanting to see what was going to happen many of them told us this of course they wanted to wait and see well of course approximate processors I think we're going along this trend also but now then that the membership has voted to dues increase in I think they've got a pretty grill real good format there of what the membership intends to do and the drive we're putting on right now proves it we've been getting some members in the old areas that agree with us that they really understand now the NFO means to really get up and go and since we do they're ready to go also and they're going with us if I were to ask you to describe the prototype of the new member to NFO in your part of the country how would you describe him Oh bill definitely the younger set especially no one I love to talk to any more than some of these these Purdue grads or the ones that have been educated along the economic lines and some of your land-grant colleges and of course so many others also but to them they're beginning to realize that now genuine collective bargaining is as American as apple pie and it's very common the only thing is it's a challenge to agriculture because everyone else has got it taken care of before the farmers and now then they're beginning to understand that farmers have got to do this and this is a smart business way about going about farming in this new era of this country as well as a new era in agriculture there's this description apply to the Northeast Keith definitely are about the same type of new member to NFO in the northeast that Fred has described in his part of the Midwest it's the young progressive farmers that does understand what it takes to run a successful business well I think that I'm looking at a couple of young progressive farmers what attracted you to NFO Keith it was a chance to be able to really price my product as it leaves based on my cost for the profit my wife is one of the individuals that helped me make complete my thinking towards NFO and she said I've always said that you've been on the wrong end of it when you've got something to sell you accept their price and when you want to buy something you have to pay their price and she said if this will correct it she said I am completely in favor of it Fred what about you well I guess maybe I kind of hate to give credit to my grandfather and my dad but for quite a while I can remember when I was driving my grandfather's team of horses he was still setting about how and why the farmer should get organized the way the rest of the country had beginning to really get into full swing with at that time and I thought about this and and thought about it and he always told me that for the farmers to get an equitable price to marketplace he was going to have to quit sitting under will team in mules to market with that corn he was going to have to use he's ahead a little bit here instead of letting the mules think for him because they would never get a price for him and he said we're going to have to get organized like everyone else and I think when NFO came along this is one of the very first things I thought about because this is the way everyone else has gotten organized and gotten their price well I hope your grandfather and your dad are both members along with you they certainly are and they're very proud of it how much traveling do you fellows do Keith are you ever at home oh yes I arrange my schedule so that I do have some time with my family you have children quite a large family how about many children do you have seven boys and four girls seven boys and four girls that's quite a family can you match that Fred no I'm afraid not and I have to say I'm about seven boys behind apparently Keith's been home a little more old from the night you have four girls right you know what the statistics say the odds now very much against you if you're after that boy because when you have four of the same sex in a row all the odds are tremendous that you will change the run of things but I'll hope for the best for you okay thank you it's been a real pleasure having both of you on us farm report it's been most fun and informative and good luck to both of you and your field staff work within fo thank you Bill thank you bill the last of our guests have been Fred Lucas and Keith Eminheiser two outstanding young farmers from the state of Indiana us farm report is seen each week on this station at this time until we meet again so long everybody [music]