The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-13
FARMERS IN ARMS
Kansas Wheat Growers Are
Wrought Up Over Market.
Claim Grain Buyers Realizing
Too Great a Profit.

The Kansas farmers are beginning
to Eat up in arms over the condition
OF. the wheat market. Reports re-
ceived at the state house from west
ern Kansas today were to the effect
that farmers who had to sell their
wheat were being forced to take as
low as $3.50 buShel for it And
wheat at the central markets sold to-
day to the export trade as high as
$3.50 a bushel.
1t is said that never in the history Of
the state has there been so wide u
margin between the prices paid the
farmers and the prices realized by the
grain buyers and those who deliver the
wheat to the exporters and the final
purchasers Margins are running as
high as S1.10 a bushel, 1t is said. which
is much more thE the highest priced
farmers dreamed of for their wheat
before the war.
Farmers on War Pnth.
And, if thee is not an adjustment
of the situation, it is predicted that
the farmer is going or the war path
and make Sis mule Maude and Mag
gle Jiggs look like doves of peace.
The grain buyers it is said. are tax
ing advantage of the car shortage to
buy wheat from the farmers at prices
lower than have prevailed in several
years. When a farmer who has to
convert MS crop INTO money goes 10
sell. the grain buyers tell him their
elevators are full. that they do not
know when thev can get cars to ship
it to market and that really they do
not care to buy. However, they state
thev are willing to be as accommodate
ing as good business will permit and,
Just to help out a fellow in trouble.
they will take the wheat at $3.50 a
bushel, or something like that.
The farmer has his choice of taking
this offer or of driving back home
with the wheat and facing his wife
who wants to know when she is going
to get that new dress and his banker
to get his money on that note that is
long overdue.
Railroads Play Favorites?
In some cases the farmers try 20
beat the game by ordering cars and
shipping their own grain to the central
markets. But they are not having
much luck at this. it seems. A lette-
was received at the court of Industrial
relations today from a Sheridan county
farmer who asserts that he cannot get
a car to ship his grain, despite the fact
that cars are being received at his
station.
The farmer asserts thatthe custom S
to furnish cars to shippeA in the order
in which their orders are received, but
he says that since he put in his order
sixteen cars have come to his station
and all of them have been gobbIed up
by the local elevator and he has been
unable to get one of the cars.
This farmer W nts the court to make
an investigation and to make some
kind of an order that will prevent any
kind of discrimination.
Planning Counter Attack
Most of the big wheat growers of
the state are holding their wheat and
are making threats to quit raising
crops If conditions do not improve.
The national association of wheat
growers was organized in Kansas last
winter to influence the farmers TO
agree to hold their wheat until they
could get fair price for it.
Many big wheat growers joined this
association and are now trying to work
4 out system under which the farmers
who are not financially able to hold
! their crop can get cash on it by bor-
rowing money on warehouse receipts
! Statisticians for this association
have figured that it costs the Kansas
farmer $3.13 a busnei to raise a croI
( of wheat and many of the big farmers
declare they will let their land lie idle
{ in the future If they cannot make cost
ont of their crons