The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1933-12-01
Latest Progress Of
Allotment Committee

AAAUIAIlC1lI VUlLllllIllCC
(By Emergency Agent PetersOn)
Wheat Allotment Committees of
Northeastern Montana counties
are solving a difficult problem of
making the necessary cuts in the
average base acreage made nee
essary through the large over run
of acres above the official figures !
for the same period. In Sheridan
county this is "a per cent when
non cooperators' acres are consid- !
cred.
The State Board of Review, in
making the final adjustment of
acres between counties, allocated
another $4,000 acres to Sheridan
county which makes our new adj
iusted three year base $4,000
acres as against 248,000 acres pre-
viously stated. This reduces the
Sheridan county over run to APP
proximately Is per cent. The Com
mittee is endeavoring to reduce
this without working too great
hardship on anyone and with JUS
tice to all.
Hundreds of farmers have called
at the Extension Office during the
past ten DAYS and to these the
Allotment Committee has ex-
planned the method it is using
in making the reductions. Briefly
the method used is as follows:
1. The Committee considers what
per cent of the cultivated acres
have been seeded to wheat during
the past three year base period.
2. Is the applicant a large or
small operator? If the applicant
operates several units. the total
reduction on all units is taken in
to consideration.
In the preliminary or tentative
reductions but few cuts were made
where the applicant had less than
rs per cent of his cultivated acres
in wheat except where it was diff
nitely known that there was an
error in the application.
The Committee has endeavored
to permit each applicant to have
enough total acres of wheat fol
1884 that should be grown on the
size of unit he may operate taking
into consideration the necessary
acres that should be fallowed, il
tame hay. feed and other possible
cash crops.
During the past week, Mr.. Mer
rift of the Wheat Office at Wash
ington, D. c., Elmer Starch, Boze
man. who has worked with TIL
State Board of Review. and r. B
; Tootell. District Supervisor, hav
been in conference with the Allot
, ment Committees of Northeastern
: Montana relative to their Difficult
! task Of making the necessary re
auctions on an equitable basis.
? Mr.. Merritt explained that othe
areas of the country also had tn
! same problem of over run bu'
! these are reduced and contracts
forwarded to Washington wher
benefit payment checks are issue
!, to cooperating farmers. He ais
3 explained how the original offici;
! crop acres were obtained an
. allowances made for errors an
Mr.. Starch told the committee
how final adjusted acres were Of
J tanned.
: The official figures are obtaine
!. through different sources. PM
= marily, these are: Numerous farm
q er crop reporters scattered owe
:, different sections of each count
;s Railroad shipments. approximat
9 amounts of wheat transported
! adjacent counties and wheat ust
- for flour and feed or seed. IT
II Federal and State crop statisticis
: must each year spend some tin
7 in every county checking seed
~ acreage reported bv local cooper
= tors to determine the probable D
: cent of error occurring In the cr'
70 reportre's figures.
# The census figures are used
% check against the crop reports al
q where assessor figures are ava
~ able the latter are also considene
Il An average of all these is the of
: cial figure given out by the Bure;
If Of Cror Estimates.
Il 1t is conceded that farmers m;
to often times have indicated to t
census enumerators less whe
\, acres than were actually grown f
40 the given year and to the same e
IS tent to other crop reportil
"a agencies. These factors have be
"a taken into consideration when t
: official estimates are released.
be Mr.. Starch indicated the probe
no the State Board of Review had
IA making the acreage adjustmer
M between counties. The total ave-
or age over run for the state was
RI per cent and since the Northeai
Mt ern counties had not only til
n greatest over run but also I
as largest wheat acreage, it is obvio
I'M that MANY Montana counties mi
sr. have been either below or appro
n mately the same as official figur
he The Board of Review present.
this situation to the Allotmt
DIV OOIlIulLICtS VI Tile Cl1OWSLO
lis valley and central Montana col
lrt ties who were already low in
ok stated acres, suggesting to the
to that even though they may hs
by indicated a county average bel
+ official figures, that there mu
ii have been some errors in tn
It applications too suggesting Il
of thew cut their acres six to t
nd per cent which was done with |
his result that approximately 300,(
or additional acres were squeezed
ro- and allocated to Northeast,
Montana counties indicating a e
he erous spirit on the part Of
all farmers In the former counties
sre The adjusted figures given
he the State Board of Review a
The final as they have performed tn
work. The task now confrontil