I have always remembered his answer: “I cannot expect my railroad to make money until I first put money in the hands of farmers along my right of way. It occurred to me that, during our depression years, we could not correct our national economy until we found better ways of putting money into the hands of our people so they could buy the products of the farm and the factory. “Every dollar we spend,” Hill continued, “helping a farmer along our right of way, puts him in a position to buy needed farm implements and home necessities, which spells income for the railroad.
Seeds of Hormel's stakeholder philosophy, quoting J. J. Hill
