The National Farmers Union (NFU) was organized in 19O2 at Point, Texas, to be a non-partisan body representing the interests of farmers in America. The organization worked to provide cooperative grain elevator facilities, relief to drought victims, price protection, farm coops, insurance services, lobbying, and educational programs for members. In 1926 NFU took over the properties of the Equity Cooperative Exchange, a terminal marketing coop founded in 1911 and managed by M.W. Thatcher. From this beginning the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association (FUGTA), with main offices in St. Paul, Minnesota, grew to be one of the largest marketing cooperatives in the world, at one time handling ten percent of all wheat produced in the United States.
In 1938 the National Farmers Union insurance program became licensed in Montana. Harold M. Brown, who was serving as secretary-treasurer of the Montana Farmers Union, became the first state agent for the NFU insurance program. In August 1943 Brown began working as a field agent for FUGTA based in Great Falls, Montana, arranging grain accounts, hiring managers for elevators, setting up coops, etc. During his travels Brown also participated in the Patrons' Annual Meetings (PAMs) held by the various boards operating the elevators and coops. Brown was also active lobbying on issues of importance to grain producers such as the wheat referendum, taxes, freight rates, warehouse fees, boxcar shortages, etc.
This collection contains correspondence, subject files, and miscellany kept by Harold M. Brown during his years as a field agent for FUGTA. The correspondence (1943-1956) to FUGTA officials T.C. Croll, E.B. Danworth, T.F. O'Neill, and M.W. Thatcher (general manager) is comprised of Brown's reports of his activities and contacts as he traveled in Montana and the instructions he received from his superiors. There is also correspondence with A.E. (Bert) Kathan, a member of the FUGTA board and a state senator from Brady, Montana. Subject files (1948-1955) include statistics on farm programs and grain production and materials on the line elevator organizations. Miscellany (1944-1952) includes FUGTA managers' school bulletins, eligibility statements for elevators, minutes of FUGTA annual meetings, a list of grain companies in Montana, etc.
This collection is arranged into five series: General Correspondence; Photographs; Printed Material; Subject Files; and Miscellany.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Photographs and printed material have been transferred, respectively, to the Photo Archives and Library. See inventory below for more information.
National records of the Grain Terminal Association are at the Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection