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L e a d e r s h i p i n the A d v a n c e m e n t o f A g r i c u l t u r e (Remarks of C h a s . N . S h e p a r d s o n at m e e t i n g of Executive Committee of Division of Agriculture, Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, at M i c h i g a n State College, East Lansing, Michigan, on November 14, 1955.) I s h a l l d i r e c t m y r e m a r k s to the n e e d f o r m o r e e f f e c t i v e leadership l n s o l v i n g the e c o n o m i c a n d f i n a n c i a l p r o b l e m s o f a g r i c u l t u r e a n d i n f o s t e r - i n g the a d e q u a t e p r o v i s i o n f o r a n d s o u n d u s e o f a g r i c u l t u r a l c r e d i t f r o m b o t h Public a n d p r i v a t e sources. W i t h the a i d o f s c i e n c e a n d t e c h n o l o g y , a g r i c u l t u r e h a s b e c o m e hi S h l y industrialized. mo:r Investment and operating capital requirements e t h a n t r e b l e d i n the l a s t 15 y e a r s . have While t e c h n i c a l "know-how" has in- creased i n i m p o r t a n c e , l o n g - r a n g e p l a n n i n g , s o u n d b u s i n e s s m a n a g e m e n t , a n d a br °ad u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f the e c o n o m i c s o f a g r i c u l t u r e a n d its r e l a t i o n s h i p to 0 U r total economy are of even greater importance. B e c a u s e o f t h i s d r a s t i c c h a n g e i n the a m o u n t a n d t y p e o f c r e d i t n e e t d e d to f i n a n c e a n d o p e r a t e o u r a g r i c u l t u r a l m a c h i n e a t the p r e s e n t t i m e , here i s r e a l n G e d f o r S O U n d , yet imaginative and aggressive leadership °ur financial institutions. o f This calls for man-power w i t h a working knowledge Agricultural production and with r e a l training and experience in farm man- agement a n d a g r i c u l t u r a l c r e d i t . a n d t o Because of lack of records and cost analysis a n a t u r a l r e s i s t a n c e to c h a n g e , m a n y f a r m e r s h a v e f r e q u e n t l y c o n t i n u e d Produce a given commodity at a loss w h e n a revision of their farm program °r P r o d u c t i o n m e t h o d s m i g h t h a v e g i v e n t h e m a p r o f i t a b l e o p e r a t i o n . p r e t h from s e n t high investment and cash operating c o s t s , it has become With imperative a t t h e y b e c o n s t a n t l y a l e r t to c h a n g i n g e c o n o m i c c o n d i t i o n s a n d t h a t t h e y b e in p o s i t i o n to a n a l y z e a n d a d j u s t t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s to m e e t t h e s e changes. Since this u s u a l l y i n v o l v e s f i n a n c i a l p r o b l e m s a n d s i n c e the c o m m e r c i a l b a n k e r Provides t h e m a j o r p o r t i o n o f t h e n o n - r e a l e s t a t e f a r m c r e d i t , he is i n a P e c u l i a r l y a d v a n t a g e o u s p o s i t i o n to e n c o u r a g e , g u i d e a n d f a c i l i t a t e s u c h a d justments. M a n y banks have recognized this opportunity and have Agricultural departments in their organizations. o f established The A g r i c u l t u r a l Commission the A m e r i c a n B a n k e r s A s s o c i a t i o n is k e e n l y a w a r e o f t h i s p r o b l e m a n d is devoting its e f f o r t s i n h e l p i n g t o s o l v e i t . T h e y h a v e l o o k e d to the L a n d - Grant C o l l e g e s f o r c o u n s e l a n d a s s i s t a n c e i n t h i s w o r k , a n d i n one o f t h e i r P r i n c i p a l p r o j e c t s , the F a r m C r e d i t S c h o o l s f o r b a n k e r s , t h e y h a v e l a r S e l y u p o n the c o l l e g e s f o r c o o p e r a t i o n a n d l e a d e r s h i p . depended In most cases those s c h o o l s h a v e b e e n d e s i g n e d to h e l p a c q u a i n t b a n k e r s w i t h t h e technical Problems a n d c r e d i t n e e d s o f m o d e r n a g r i c u l t u r e a n d to h e l p t r a i n e x i s t i n g P e r s o n n e l to m e e t t h e s e needs. T h e r e is a r e a l n e e d , h o w e v e r , f o r m e n s p e c i a l l y t r a i n e d i n t h i s fi eld. t u r e n s u c h training should include a broad training in production agricul- and farm m a n a g e m e n t . It s h o u l d a l s o i n c l u d e a s o u n d f o u n d a t i o n i n e c o - °mics, a g r i c u l t u r a l c r e d i t a n d m o n e y a n d b a n k i n g . l n I t is this l a t t e r t r a i n - S that m o s t of o u r a g r i c u l t u r a l graduates lack but should have if they are to q u a l i f y as b a n k a g r i c u l t u r a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s a n d as c a n d i d a t e s f o r s u b s e quent p r o m o t i o n i n the f i e l d o f b a n k m a n a g e m e n t . The same m i g h t be said f o r m a n y of our graduates who go into techn i c a l o r p r o d u c t i o n jobs w i t h v a r i o u s a g r i c u l t u r a l i n d u s t r i e s a n d t h e i r o p p o r t u n i t y f o r p r o m o t i o n to m a n a g e r i a l p o s i t i o n s b l o c k e d b y l a c k o f b usiness training. who find - 3 - T h i s t y p e o f t r a i n i n g is a l s o i m p o r t a n t f o r a l l t y p e s o f a g r i c u l tural leadership. l n I n o u r p r e s e n t o v e r - c r o w d e d c u r r i c u l a t h e r e is a n i n c r e a s - g p r o l i f e r a t i o n o f t e c h n i c a l c o u r s e s a t t h e e x p e n s e o f o t h e r a r e a s t h a t are squally v i t a i t o o u r t o t a l j o b as c i t i z e n s a n d a g r i c u l t u r a l l e a d e r s . I n t i m e s l i k e the p r e s e n t , the i m m e d i a t e f a r m p r o b l e m is e s s e n t i a l l y Q n economic a n d s o c i o l o g i c a l o n e . a s the " b a c k - b o n e o f o u r e c o n o m y " a n d as a " w a y o f l i f e , " i t is e s p e c i a l l y s u s - Because of o u r inherent concept of farming ceptible to e m o t i o n a l b i a s a n d p e r s o n a l p r e j u d i c e . t h a t I t is t h e r e f o r e important °ur c o l l e g e s p r o v i d e l e a d e r s h i p i n a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d s y m p a t h e t i c s o u n d , o b j e c t i v e , l o n g - r a n g e a p p r o a c h to t h e s e p r o b l e m s . yet This calls f o r a courageous a n d f e a r l e s s p r o g r a m o f e c o n o m i c r e s e a r c h b a c k e d b y a r i g o r o u s g r a m Q °f t r a i n i n g i n d i s c i p l i n e d o b j e c t i v e pro- analysis of w h a t are too often °3ged o r s o f t - p e d a l e d as c o n t r o v e r s i a l p r o b l e m s . Our Land-Grant Colleges have been courageous and forthright in their re s e a r c h and e x p o s i t i o n of findings o n the scientific and t e c h n o l o g i c a l prob- leills 0 r bes °f a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n . practices Products r e l a t e d t o the t e c h n o l o g i c a l p r o b l e m s o f p r o d u c t i o n b a s e d o n o u r "t available information. acce n e w h a 3 We h a v e d o n e this w i t h the f u l l k n o w l e d g e and P t a n c e o f the f a c t t h a t s u b s e q u e n t r e s e a r c h m a y a n d o f t e n h a s d e v e l o p e d f o r m a t i o n t h a t n e c e s s i t a t e d a m o d i f i c a t i o n o r r e v e r s a l o f those r e c o m - m e n d a t c W e h a v e n o t h e s i t a t e d to a d v o c a t e ions. A n d , o u r r e m a r k a b l e t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e o f t h e p a s t 15 y e a r s b e e n due to t h i s c o u r a g e o u s a p p r o a c h , I wonder if we have been equally °Urageous i n o u r a t t a c k o n t h e s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i c p r o b l e m s o f a g r i c u l t u r e i f we h a v e i n s i s t e d o n t h e s a m e o b j e c t i v e a p p r o a c h t o t h e i r a n a l y s i s o r i f W e W e a l l o w e d o u r s e l v e s to be s w a y e d b y e x p e d i e n c y o r p o l i t i c a l p r e s s u r e .
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