Evening star., 1920-11-17
FARMERS FAVOR
HOLDING WHEAT
Discourage "Grain Strike, !"
But Would Wait for
Better Prices.

:, CHICAGO. November 17.-While not
$aroring u grain strike for any SGT
price, sentiment among organized
farmers in the great agricultural
states of the middle west runs strong
ly toward holding back grain as far
as practicable for better prices. ac-
cordlng to canvass made here. This
survey of sentiment was taken by the
Illinois Agricultural 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 a
state federation report it had advised
a strike"
= 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"
Don't Want .Strike."
THE attitude / have taken in the
matter is this" wrote III. d. Lutte of
hincoln, Neb., secretary of the
Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation.
that it is wrong to set an arbitrary
price of SO a buShel, and that II is
hardly advisable to ask the farmers
10 hold their wheat unless we are in
q position to help them on the finan-
cial and storage ends of the game.
But l do tell the farmers that l be-
Geve wheat will be higher and that il
will be a good thing to hold it if
\ they are in a position to do So
Writing that the South Dakota Farm
Bureau Federation does not believe
q wheat strike necessary or desirable
for the country" Secretary +. j. Gram
.
handling the situation is to furnish
farmers with accurate information
regarding the wheat market to help
them in determining what action is
best for their needs. The farmers will
hold their wheat off the market with
out doubt if 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
advising that the world wheat situa-
ton warrants holding of the crop if
credit allows and using our best eff
forts to help bring financial relief.
Irse Holding Wheat.
Officially the Missouri Farm Bureau
Federation has made no recommends
tion. A. J. Meyer. at Columbia. execu-
hive secretary. wrote. LAS individ-
uals," he added. "all members of our
executive committee take the atti-
tude 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 them to go.
Since we are not in a position to guar
an1ee S3 wheat. we can hardly advise
farmers to hold for s3.'
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Fed
Grafton does not indorse strike as a
means of controlling the price of
farm products. wrote Secretary c. A
Peters of Rosenda1e. Wis. According
to the present situation in regard to
wheat we believe that the low prices
are unjustifiab BILE. and that il would
he good business policy for the farm
ers to discontinue heavy marketing
and allow the market to adjust itself.
.From Iowa, +. H. Cunningham o1
Ames. secretary of the Iowa Farm
Bureau Federation. wrote: I'VE realize
that it is the most difficult thing &c
hold grain and we do not recommend
that it be held to arbitrarily force
prices TO unreasonable height ol
course we have no credit system
whereby we can hold all the grams
of the country but we are advising
our farmers to slow down in market
ing for the present until this period
pf decentralization in prices has some
what recovered.