The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1928-10-26
MACHINES WILL COB
Bile SMALL FAR M S
By LELAND oLDs. Federated Pres.

Optimism on the future of FARMING
voiced by Assistant Secretary of A@.
[lculture K. w. Dunlap before the
Ohlo real estate convention, is based |
largely upon the belief that agricul- |
ture will be transformed into a cog
In the American capitalist machine.
Dunlap leaves the impression that the
spread of large scale farming either
oy corporation or partnerships will
soon complete the transition to a new
agricultural order far removed from
the days of the independent, self-suf-
ficing farm.
Now" he says, eve have a highly
cemmercialized agriculture in which
the farmer produces to sell, and with
the proceeds of what he sells buys
the things he consumes instead of
raising or making them direct for di-
rect consumption himself. But as a
result the farmer has become highly
price sensitive and has become part
of a closely knit economic system
through which, he feels the ups and
downs of conditions the world over as
he did not feel them years ago."
Dunlap observes today an agricul-
tural revolution like the revolution
which changed industry a century or
more ago.
81 see also in the future a larger
sized farm in many sections of the
i Country. The enlargement so far has
been somewhat more rapid and spec
tacular in certain sections of the
country farther west. There the in
crease in size has been stimulated
largely by the widespread adoption
of new machinery which enables one
man to plant, cultivate and harvest
larger acreage than ever before"
The corn belt farmer of the future,
Dunlap thinks, will also have larg-
er farm unit through increased eff
ciencies such as the tractor, cultiva>
tor and corn picker.
A number of successful large scale
corporation farms are now paying
dividends. One declared a 5000 divi-
> dend in January
Dunlap stresses high labor costs
> and high trades as important prob
lens that can be met by increased
: efficiency and the use of machinery
: He foresees larger drift of farm
population to the city than in prewaI
because increasing efficiency requires
fewer farm workers. He wants NOR,
. protection against increased foreign
competition for American famers, i'm
plying that only as the domestic mar
! ket catches up with the present leve
: of agricultural production can farmer
find an adequate market for thei
a products. He saws:
J. CAT this time many foreign coun
tries where land and labor are yer
!, cheap, such countries as Africa, Sout
( America and Russia, are beginnin
to increase greatly their agriculture
!, production. These countries are i'm
porting power machinery from tn
d, United States and soon will be prC
ducing enormous quantities of fooC
/ stuffs, which, unless we have a tai
d, iff to protect the producers of til
United States, might ruin our farm
<; ers."
4. The world competition which Dun
lap forecasts will extend far beyor
IN agriculture to every branch of Anne
MT lean production and in the end Il
90 industrial capitalists are bound
sacrifice the farmers in the intere
of cheap food for industrial wal
earners. Unless America becomes
- cooperative commonwealth consuT
Z ing practically all its own outpJ
Z protection through tariff will pro
+ but a temporary makeshift.