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Many times in rural America, you will see signs painted on the sides or roofs of barns and houses. Perhaps one of the most commonly seen is the Mail Pouch chewing tobacco signs. The advertiser would pay for the space and paint the sign But often it's as here, simply the name of a seed company or such.

In this case the name Hilger is that of a seed company. As I understand it, they did not pay for their name to be painted, but as a condition of particpation in a program, the farmer would use their products and services at a special price if they painted the companies name on a house or barn. Since farmers usually keep a close eye on what works for their neighbors, if a Hilger customer had a good year, then the other farmers knew where to go for seed and services.