The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1914-12-31
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION,
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

The economic distribution of farm
products is today the worlds greatest
problem and the war, while 1t mas
brought Its hardships, has clearly EN-
phasized the importance OF dlstrlOu-
ton as a factor in American agricuF
ture and promises to give the farm
ers the cooperation of the govern"
ment and the business men the
solution of their marketing problem. |
This result win, in measure, com
uensate us.for our war losses, for the
business interests and government
have been in the main assisting al
most exclusively on the production
side OF agriculture. While the depart
ment of agriculture has been dumping
tons of literature on the farmer telling
him how to produce, the farmer has
been dumping tons of products in the
nations garbage can for want OF a
market
The World VIII Never StarVe.
At no time since Adam and Eve
were driven from the Garden OF Eden
have the inhabitants of this world
suffered from lack of production, but
some people have gone hungry from
the day of creation to this good hour
for the lack Of proper Distribution.
Slight variations in production nave
forced a change in diet and one local.
ity has felt the pinch of want, While
another surfeited, but the world as a
whole has ever been a land OF plenty.
We now have less than one-tenth OF
the tillable land of the earth's surface
under cultivation, and we not only
have this surplus area to draw on but
1t is safe to estimate that in case OF
dire necessity one-half the eartns
population could at the present time
knock their living out of the trees
! of the forest, gather it from wild
vines and draw it from streams NO
one should become alarmed; the
world will never starve.
The consumer has always feared
that the producer would not supply
him and his fright has found express
sion on the statute books of our states
land nations and the farmer has been
urged to produce recklessly and with
oat reference to market, and regard
LESS of the demands of the consumer.
Back to the Soil.
The city people have been urging
each other to move back to the farm,
but very few of them have moved.
We welcome our city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface con-
tains 16.Os2, 160,0 900 idle acres of till.
able land where they can make
living by tickling the earth with a
forked stick, but we do not need them
! so far as increasing production is con-
J cerned; we now have all the producers
! I've can use. The city man has very
erroneous ideas of agricultural condi-
: tons. The commonly accepted theory
/ that we are short on production ID all
wrong. Our annual increase in pro
duction far exceeds that Of our In
crease in population.
The World az Farm.
: Taking the world as one big farm,
? we ind two billion acres of land in
cultivation. OF this amount there is
Approximately 100000, 900 acres on the
western and 1,26O,OO0,00O acres on the
eastern hemisphere, in cultivation.
; This estimate. Of course, does not in
+ clude grazing lands, forests, etc,
0 where large quantities Of meat are
y produced.
= The worlds annual crop approx
Y mates fifteen billion bushels of ce
Il reals, thirteen billion pounds of fibre
( and sixty-five million tons Of meat
+ The average annual world crop fol
4 the past I'VE years, compared with the
r previous FIVE years. is as follows:
t Past Half Previous Hall
= Crops Decade. Decade.
}. Corn (Bu.) 3,934,174,000 S.4OS, $50, 00t
II Wheat( Bu) 3,522. 769,O00 S,257, 526, oOt
e Oats (Bu.l 4.12O017.OOO 3.5Os,S15,O O(
It Cotton (Bales) 1s.s63.sOO 1854, 2ol
> The world shows an average in
> crease in cereal production of 10 pei
q cent during the past decade, compared
A. with the previous Ave years, while tbs
h worlds population shows an increas'
4 of only three per cent.
The gain in production far exceedr
that OF our increase in population, ant
ii is safe to estimate that the farme
n can easily increase production % pc
:. cent II q remunerative market can b
= found for the products, In textil
!. fibres the world shows an increas
a during the past half decade in produC
a ton Of Is per cent against populs
" ton increase OF three per cent.
/. The people OF this nation shout
- address themselves to the subject c
n improved facilities for distribution.
,f