ID: ind03127
Name: Morris Earl FONDA
Given Name: Morris Earl
Surname: Fonda
Sex: M
Birth: 16 NOV 1909
Death: 12 MAY 1990
Age: 80y 5m 26d
OBJE:
FORM: jpeg
Title: MorrisEFonda_IL
FILE: W:\fonda.org\images\mugs\MorrisEFonda_IL.jpg
Note: b. MI; 1910, 1920 & 1930 US Federal Census, Coldwater, Branch Co., MI; res. Aiken, SC; SSDI OH, d. Pensacola, Escambia Co., FL; bur. Oak Grove Cemetery, Coldwater, MI; o. Director of Marketing; [So you've got problems? Pity livestock farmer... But optimism unshakable - by Lea Tonkin - The livestock farmer's lot has never been an armchair kind of existence, and the current problems of rising costs, fuel shortages and poor weather add uncertainty to the cost of doing business. Yet the farmers' optimism is pretty unshakable, said the marketing director for a local grain storage and feeding systems company. "We are optimistic because the farmers are optimistic," said Morris Fonda, Director of Marketing for the Arlington Heights-based A. O. Smith Harvestore Products Inc., subsidiary of A. O. Smith Corp. "With the increase in the more businesslike type of farm, we all think this is good for their outlook," Fonda adds. The overall trend, despite recent boycotts, is toward higher consumption of pork and beef and this means rising farm income. This translates into hefty sales increases for the Harvestore division. "Through March of this year, we are double our production for the same period last year," said Fonda. "We're at the top of our production right now, even at the point that we can't meet the demand. We plan to begin building a new plant this summer." Currently, Harvestore structures are manufactured at a Kankakee plant. A new site has not been named for the new plant but it will boost manufacturing capacity by 50 per cent, from 4,000 to 6,000 units a year. "Our setup is such that we distribute through a national dealer organization," continued Fonda. "Our people meet with farmers all the time." He noted that many livestock farmers were hit by adverse weather conditions last fall and were unable to harvest feed grains. At the same time, they face the rising cost of feed and equipment and the shortage of fuel required to dry harvested grain and possible planting delays. In the face of all these difficulties, how can a farmer afford to shell out say, $20,000 for one of those big blue Harvestore storage units when a run-of-the-mill concrete silo would cost much less? "It's something like comparing a pickup truck to a wheelbarrow," said Fonda simply. The Harvestore units are designed to keep most air out, to store relatively high moisture grain and to load from the top and unload from the bottom. All these contrast with the conventional silo, and are cost-savers in the long run. Fonda recently testified before House and Senate agriculture committees on the energy saving potential of the Harvestore units. Storing grains at 20-30 per cent moisture does away with the need to dry out grain to the normal 14 per cent level for conventional storage. "It takes tremendous amounts of energy for this drying process," said Fonda. "Since a great percentage of the crops are used to feed their own cattle, farmers could save energy." High moisture units now account for 6 per cent of the market, but there were almost none used 10 years ago. Fonda sees the time-saving and energy-saving benefits of the units as an edge in today's market. "It's not unusual to put in a $40,000 automated feeding system along with the Harvestore unit," he adds. A variety of feed material handling systems is available, enabling the farmer to put pushbutton technology to use. "The farmer these days is getting more sophisticated. He is a farmer-businessman, not a corporation," Fonda said. "We find it is a family concern, and the wife is just as concerned as the husband in buying decisions. "This helps to keep young people on the farm," he continued, "by making their life a little easier, hopefully a little more profitable. Chicago Daily Herald 1973-04-17] [Fonda Awarded Citation For Conservation Efforts A Presidential Citation of the Soil Conservation Society of America was awarded to Morris Fonda, 837 S Highland Ave., Arlington Heights, during the society's annual meeting last Wednesday in Jackson, Miss. Fonda is director of agricultural marketing of A O. Smith Harvestore Products, IDC The citation states that Fonda was selected for this honor because of "his special aid and assistance to the Society as Chairman of the Industry Relations Committee as well as his continuing daily efforts to advance soil and water conservation and for his leadership in developing new conservation products." Under his direction, his company recently developed and put on the market the "soil saver," a glass-fused-to-steel structure for water control and soil erosion control Fonda is a Fellow of the Soil Conservation Society and served as its president in 1951 and 1952. He was a member of the USDA Soil Conservation Service staff from 1933 to 1947, after which he served with the National Association of Conservation Districts. He has also been active id Grassland Council work, Future Farmers of America programs, and has served as a land consultant to the Rural Life Conference at Manizales, Columbia. In accepting the award, Fonda declared that rapid urbanization, industrialization and large population growth made the question of soil and water conservation a matter of greater urgency than ever before. "It deserves to be high on our agenda," he stated, "both among individual farmers as well as in government policy The energies, knowledge and technology of private enterprise and the skill of our farmer must be joined with government on all levels to conserve ou soil, one of the nation's most precious resources " Fonda is an alumnus of Michigan State University (1931 where he majored in forestry and agriculture. A Presidential Citation of the Soil Conservation Society of America was made last week to Morris Fonda (left) of Arlington Heights by Society President Herbert Hopper. The citation was awarded for Fonda's continuing daily efforts to advance soil and water conservation and for leadership in developing new conservation products. Chicago Daily Herald, 1964-09-03] >> www.fonda.org <<
Father: Earl Harrison FONDA b: 05 FEB 1883
Mother: Edith J. GOODMAN b: 1879
Marriage 1
Evelyn M. b: 05 AUG 1901 | |
Home Page: Fonda Family Genealogy
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