Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1933-08-03
ALLOTMENT PLAN
Is EXPLAINED

-
That farmers of the Northwest
are friendly to the acreage re-
duction program of the Agri-
cultural Adjustment Administration
at Washington was the opinion ex-
pressed at the wheat production con-
troll conference held July 7-8 at
Fargo.
This conference was attended BY
representatives of the state extention
depa rtments of North Dakota, South
Dakota, Minnesota and Montana and
about 600 members Of the Farmers
Union. representing 43 North Dakota
and 16 Montana counties. The con
ference was held by M. L. Wilson,
wheat production administrator at
Washington. and members OF his
staff, to discuss the details of the
Administrations program to in
crease the purchasing power of
wheat farmers and put into motion
the machinery to get its program
into operation
Organization WORK is now under
way In many counties and will be
under way very shortly in all coun-
ties which produce over $50, 900
bushels OF wheat annually. This
includes all North Dakota coun-
ties and a majority of the counties
In the other three spring wheat
| states. There are three definite
steps in the program, according to
Mr.. Wilson:
/. An educational campaign to
sell farmers on the necessity of
reducing wheat acreage II wheat
farming is to again become profit
able. Drouth has reduced produc-
ton this year but it has not solved
the longtime problem of an exces-
sive world surplus.
q. Organization of county wheat
| production associations which will
be composed of those farmers who
desire to cooperate in reducing
their whet acreage In return for a
compromising cash payment
amounting to about 80 cents a
bushel this year.
3. Payment Of two-thirds Of the
compensating payment about Sept.
18th to those farmers who sign up
to reduce their acreage in 1884
and 1885, and the balance Zone
third) next spring after the con-
tract signers have proven that they
have reduced their acreage. Briefly;
If you sign up this fall YOU will be
paid about 80 cents on your aloe
ment for next year. Whatever the
price Of wheat next year, you'll
keep the 80 cents, and you may
sell your wheat whenever you
please and at any price you can get
for 1t.
Several minor objections to the
plans were Offered at Fargo. Mr..
Wilson answered that the Admins
~tration does not consider Its plan
perfect and pointed out that 1t Is an
experiment. good only for the crop
years of 1884 and 1895. If it is a
failure 1t can be dropped Oh
changed after that time. II 1T works
fine, 1T can be continued after
1885, provided the emergency
still exists and farmers are sold
on production control. He also
pointed out that the plan had to
be made for 1900, 900 wheat farm
ers throughout the nation, and
obviously such a national plan
will work some injustices on in
dividuals here and there and prob
ably also on some communities
which have been visited by crop
failures In the years used for fix
ing allotments.
Real Object of Plan
The object OF the whole plan is
to restore the purchasing power OF
wheat which has steadily declined
sinse the boom days following the
war. 1t does not mean simply a
higher price for wheat. Two dollar
wheat might not have as much
purchasing power as 75-cent wheat
ii the things farmers buy went up
faster in price than the price OF
wheat Lack OF understanding OF
this feature OF the Farm Adjust