Sears Roebuck was instrumental in aiding county Farm Bureaus by offering $1000 grants to allow them to begin work throughout the county. By 1913, it was clear that there was a need for a statewide association, so on July 1, 1913, county advisors convened in Pontiac, Illinois, to discuss problems and experiences. By December of 1913, in Champaign, Illinois, the statewide association was created and named the Illinois Association of County Agriculturalists. By mid-1914, the association was up from just four to thirteen members. Soon, the Illinois Association of County Agriculturalists was changed to what we know today, the Illinois Agricultural Association. In 1916, Herman Danforth was elected as the first IAA president.