New-York tribune., 1920-11-18
Producers Favor
Holding Back Grain
For Higher Prices
Canvass i'm Great Agriculture
al States of Middle West
Shows Farmers Indorse
Proposal to Hoard Wheat

CHICAGO, Nov. 17.-While not favor
ing . grain '"strike" for any set price,
sentiment among organized farmers in
the great agricultural states Of the
Middle West runs strongly toward
holding back grain, as far AS prac-
ticable, for better prices, according to
canvass made here. This survey of SEN
timens was taken by the Illinois Agri-
cultural Association.
Reports were received by secretaries
Of state farm bureau federations in
Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota.
Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and
Kentucky. In no cases did state fed
Grafton report it had advised Strike. I"
Need of credit facilities to enable
farmers to hold their wheat if they
want to was pointed out from several
states. One state secretary wrote he
was "using the present conditions as
an argument in favor Of the farmers
getting into the big marketing game
IN such a way that they will be able to
finance it and to store considerable of
the grain as it is offered"
"The attitude ] have taken in the
matter is this" wrote H. d. Lutte, of
Lincoln, Neb, secretary of the Ne
braska Farm Bureau Federation, "that
it is wrong to set an arbitrary price
of SO q busheL and that it is hardly
advisable to ask the farmers to hold
their wheat unless we are in position
to help them on the financial and stor-
age ends of the game. But I do tell
the farmers that | believe wheat will
be higher and that it will be a good
thing to hold it if they are in posi-
tion to do So"
Writing that the South Dakota Farm
Bureau Federation "does not believe a
wheat strike necessary or desirable
for the country" Secretary P. j. Gran
dali, Of Huron, said: "Our method OF
handling the situation is to furnish
farmers with accurate information re-
parding the wheat market to help them
in determining what action is best for
their needs. The farmers will hold
their wheat off the market without .
doubt il they are able to get credit
which will allow them to carry. their
products The credit situation is the
key to the whole matter. We are ao-
visng that the world wheat SITUATION n
warrants holding of the crop II credit
allows and using our best efforts to
help bring financial relief"
Officially, .he Missouri Farm Bureau
Federation has made no recommends
ton, A. J. Meyer, at Columbia, eX-
ecutive secretary, wrote. "As inol..
viduals." he added, "all members Of
our executive committee take the al,
titude that where farmers can afford
to hold wheat they should, by all
means, do so. This is on the theory
that present prices are about as low
as we can reasonably expect thenN to
90. Since we aresnot in position to
guarantee 81 wheat, we can hardly
advise farmers to hold for $3."
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Fedora
tion does no. indorse "strikes" as
means Of controlling the price Of farm
products, wrote Secretary c. A. Peters,
of Rosendals' Wis According to the
present situation in regard to wheat
we believe that the low prices are un--
iustifiable and that it woIld be good
business policy for the farmers to
discontinue heavy marketing and allow
the market 70 adjust itself"
From Iowa, L. II. Cunningham. of
Ames, secretary of the Iowa Farm
Bureau Federation, wrote: 1--WE realize
that it is tho most difficult thing to
hold grain and we do not recommend
that it be held to arbitrarily force
prices to Unreasonable height. OF
course, we have no credit system where
by we can hold all the grains of the
country, but we are advising our far
mers to slow down in marketing for
the present, until this period Of de-
moralization IN prices has somewhat
recovered"