Federal Dollars Head to Kennewick Fields
The U.S. Department of Agriculture formally integrates Benton County’s agricultural oversight into its federal mission.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The government has become a financial sponsor for Benton county’s agricultural work. Beginning last Tuesday, September 1, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, through the state college, contributes $75 a month toward the maintenance of the office of county agriculturist, and Lee M. Lampson becomes not only county agriculturist but also agent of the U. S. department. This action is the result of a conference of department representatives held here last Saturday and Sunday. The conference was attended by D. W. Workings, supervisor of the department’s activities in the 11 western states, and other agricultural experts. The work carried on in Benton county has been reviewed thoroughly by Mr. Workings, and it is upon his recommendations that the government money becomes available. This connects the work in Benton county directly to the state college and the federal government, the primary object for which the Benton County Crop Improvement association was organized two years ago.
“The government has become, in a measure, financial sponsor for Benton county’s agricultural work.”
This early 20th-century move to professionalize local farming through federal partnership foreshadowed the massive expansion of agricultural science and extension services that define Washington's economy today. It reflects a period when the 'growth machine' of the era relied on linking local land potential to national bureaucratic networks.
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