The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1922-09-14
STRESS BUSINESS
SIDE OF AGRICUL-
TURE SAYS SEC'Y
Formation of Bureau Will
Bring Farm in Touch
With Markets

WASHINGTON, Sept. lit is one
of the dominating policies of the De-
partment of Agriculture under the
administration of Secretary Wallace
that the department keep abreast
with developments in the business
world and give particular attention
to the strictly economic need of ag-
riculture. Secretary Wallace is get
ting away from the old stereotyped
idea that all the Department of Agri-
culture should do is to give element
ary advice as to how to plant crops
and kill insects.
More and more the success of farm
ing depends upon the economic ham
ding of farm produce after it has
been raised, For that reason the De-
partment of Agriculture under the
present administration is laying
stress upon farm management, ware
housing, marketing, competition from
foreign countries, cooperative buy
ing; in short all of the features
which might be termed strictly the
business side of agriculture.
To facilitate this work there has
been consolidation of the old Bu-
reau of Markets and Crop Estimates
with the former Office of farm eco
nomics. The newly consolidated bu-
reau, known as the Bureau of Agri-
cultural Economics, began its legal
functioning July l. The new bureau
places particular emphasis upon the
marketing end of farming. One of
its purposes is to bring the consumer
into closer and more intelligent and
sympathetic touch with the producer
on the farm. This will eliminate
some of the spread between the price
the farmer gets for his product and
the price the consumer pays for it.
Under this bureau branch offices are
maintained in all of the large mar
ket centers of the country, of which
the following are the more import
ant: New York, Philadelphia, Boston,
Chicago, New Orleans, Kansas City,
Omaha, Minneapolis, Galveston, Mem
phis, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Pittsburgh,
Portland and San Francisco.
One of the bureaus important
tasks is to prevent any one market
being overloaded with produce of any
one kind. In this connection the crop
reporting agencies of the department
play a very active part. The same
sort of service has also been inaug-
urated within the department for the
live stock reporting. This service
shows the monthly changes in the
live stock situation on farms through
out the United States. Monthly re-
ports will be obtained from 10000
to 100000 farms and state reports
of live stock conditions at least in
those states which form the corn
belt and the Southern states. The
range states will furnish reports less
frequently because of the difficulty
in getting complete information for
monthly dissemination.
One of the first results taken in
this new nationwide live stock re-
porting service was forecast re-
Gently issued showing that approx
imately 100000 head Of Arizona cat
tie were ready for the market. This
sort of service stabilizes the live
stock market and meat industry, pre-
venting a congestion of receipts at
any one point which results in a
loss to the producer without any gain
to the consumer.
The new bureau will also keep a
very accurate tab upon conditions OF
grain and live stock in foreign eoun-
tries, taking into account not only
the visible supply but the demand
the cost of production and the posi-
BILE competition which these foreign
products will offer to the American
producer,