New Britain herald., 1923-07-20
wheat SLUMP ISA
Loss TO FARMERS
S472,OO0,0OO Oh Wrong Side Of
Ledger, Is Estimated

Kansas City, Mo-, July 20-As their
reward for seasons work, the
farmers of the United States will
have to pocket a loss of 1900, 900
lon this years wheat crop as result OF
the recent slump in wheat prices.
That is the estimate of ]. c. Mohler
secretary of the Kansas state board OF
agriculture.
The slump, caused mainly by over
production throughout the world,
will sweep away the earnings of
millions OF farmers, Mohler estimates
and leave them poorer than they were
IA year ago.
1t means check in the prosperity
WAVE that has swept the country dur
ling the recent months, he believes,
but will not bring on panic.
The loss estimate Is based on a
production cost of s1.36 a bushel, the
estimate of what it costs farmer
Ito raise bushel of wheat in Kansas
this year. The farmer will get only
an average of II cents a bushel for
ibis product.
Must Offset Losses. H..
1T means 100000 people of the
Icut down expenditures during the
coming year." Mohler says. 1T
means there must be change in the
mode of living of farmers and those
who depend upon the prosperity of
the farmers for living.
"Of course, farmers will make a.
profit in other lines. possibly from
their livestock and corn" the agri-
cultural expert continues. But one
can see that it will take a great deal
of profit in those lines to offset the
losses of wheat growers.
kansas farmers will be $4,000
coo worse off for their year of work
land investment in growing wheat.
II am not calamity bowler and
want to make the reservation that
kansas farmers have seen hard
times before, and will pull through
some way. They still will ride in
motor cars, but many of them will
|be old ones. l fear"
Last year the average price receiv-
. ed by Kansas farmers for wheat was
| 80 cents.
The situation is such that farmers
/ simply will have to give up raising
wheat in such large quantities" Mob
| ler says, ut is idle to expert legis-
lation of any other factor to increase
wheat prices while the world markets
are being flooded. .r
Declining Market
| The farmers of this continent
||obeyed the economic law and pro- ,
duced more wheat when more wheat |
was needed. They are Just as certain |
Ito obey the economic law and produce |
less wheat when less wheat Is needed |
ut is comparatively easy to extend |
Ia business on a rising market. 1t is
|difficult to readjust a business on a |
|profitabe basis with a falling market,
hut that appears to be the big job
|confronting the wheat farmers of the
United States.
IA reduction of wheat acreage and |
more diversified farming in the wheat
|producing states constitutes the only
certain remedy.
Il believe it has been clearly shown
THAT legislation cannot be depended
upon to make wheat profitable crop
when there is an overproduction.
l"Our own agricultural college has
Recommended that farmers feed
wheat to hogs, saying they can get
Jas much as a dollar bushel In that
way for their wheat if present prices
Tor hogs continue. The experts have
made close study of how much
wheat 1t takes to put pound of
weight on q hog and l am willing to
take their figures.
Much depends upon the grade of
wheat and how 1t is mixed with other
feeds. 1t might be very profitable to
feed low grade wheat to hogs"
Strike Improbable
Asked regarding the suggestion of
Governor Jonathan NJ. Davis, "dirt
farmer" executive of Kansas that
wheat sellers go on a strike, Mohler
says: II
II believe such a movement would
have to take in virtually all of the
wheat producing states to be success
full. 1t would be hard to arrange
with banks to liquidate loans"
Mothers belief is that the big |
world market, which the United
States has had the last few years, is
being narrowed down rapidly by
European countries returned to pro-
duction OF understanding they |
dropped during and Immediately aft
er the war.
Russia and the Balkan states
once more are in the field" he said.
India already has harvested a rec
ord crop with an eXportabIc surplus Of |
1t least 100000 bushels this year /
Ind the exports as 100,000,000 bush
lis. 1t must be remembered that II
india exported only 100000 bushels
asst year and year before last i'm II
ported wheat. III
"As to the increase in production II
n our own country: During the war II
period and since then the wheat III
.creage has increased about one II
bird and during the same period II
he wheat acreage in Canada has al
most doubled.
I'm Kansas we used to plant twice
IS much corn as wheat. Now we
liant twice as much wheat as corn.
I'VE simply must get back to the
Id ratio. In the meantime we have
o learn our. lesson and stay in debt