Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-11-17
Farmers Net
Striking; Just
Holding Grain
BY Associated Press.

pS Associated Press.
Chicago. Nov. l7.-WSile not fav,-
oring a grain strike" for any sci
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-
cording to canvass made here This
survey of sentiment was taken by
the Illinois Agricultural Association.
reports were received by sccretar-
les of state farm bureau federations
In Missouri. Minnesota South Dakota.
Nebraska, lcwa, Wisconsin and Ken
lucky. In no cases did a state fedora
ton report il had advised at"strike.'
Need OF credit facilities To enable
farmers to hold their wheat il 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 way that they will be able
to finance il and To store consider.
The attitude | have taken in the
matter is this" wrote H. ID. Lutte of
Lincoln. Neb., secretary of the Ne
braska H'arm Bureau Federation
that II is wrong to set an arbitrary
price SO q bushel and that lit is
hardly advisable TO ask the farmers
to hold their wheat unless we are in
position to help them on the finan-
ciai and storage ends of the game.
But | do tell the farmers that I be-
lieve wheat will be higher and that
1t will be Il good thing 10 hold IL if
they are in II position TO do so"
Writing that the South Dakota
Farm Bureau Federation does not
believe whsat strike necessary or
desirable for the country" Secre-
tary p. j. t'randali of Huron, said:
Our method OF handling the situa-
ton is to furnish farmers with ac-
curate information regarding the
wheat market to help them In de-
terminine what action is best for
their needs. The farmers will hold
their wheat off the market without Il
doubt il they are able to get credit
which will allow them TO carry their
products. The credI situation is~the
key to the whole matter. We are adj
vising that the world wheat situa-
ton warrants holding OF the crop if
credit allows and using orr best eff
forts to help bi ing financial relief
Officially the Missouri Farm Fed
GRAFTON has made no recommends
ton A. j. Meyer. at Columbia, eX-
ecutive secretary. wrote LAS midi
yidualS, he added NH members OF
our executive committee take the at
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 them
to go. Since we are not in a position
to guarantee sc wheat, we can hardly
advise farmers to hold for 49,"
The Wisconsin \ Farm Federation
does not endorse strikes" as a
means of controlling the price of
farm products. wrote Secretary C. A.
Peters. OF Rosendale Wis According
to the present situation in. regard to
wheat we believe that the low prices
are unjustifiable and that it would lie
good business policy for the farmers
to discontinue heavy marketing and
allow the market to adjust itself"
From Iowa, +. II. Cunningham of
Ames. secretary of the Iowa Farm
Bureau Federation. wrote: we re-
alize that it is.the most difficult
thing to hold grain and we do not
recommend that it be held to ar
bitrarily force prices to unreasona Bile
Eei.ht> or course we have no credit
system whereby we, can hold
all the grains of the country, but we
are advising our farmers to slow
down in marketing for the present
until this period of decentralization in
prices has somewhat recovered"