Evening star., 1934-05-11
|CR0P FUND TO AID.
DROUGHT FARMERS.
Wheat Section Chief Says
Plan Adjustable to Yield
Catastrophe.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated PreSS-
Signing of contracts for the wheat
production control campaign will be
extended until May 16 to allow farm
ers in drought States to participate
Describing the primary purpose OF
the wheat plan as adjustment of pro-
duction. George E. Farrell. chief OF
the wheat section of the Farm Ad-
miniStratiOn, declared the program
has a secondary function in insuring
income to farmers under conditions
such as the present drought.
In a speech prepared for delivery
at Urbana, Ill. but released here,
Farrell said farmers who had not
previously signed wheat reduction
contracts would be allowed to do SO
and would receive benefit payments
which would recompense them for
drought losses.
Stop-gap for Drought.
In many cases, he asserted. these
payments would represent the sole in
come of farmers in drought areas.
In one of its principal features,
the wheat plan is based OH the prop
osition that it is right and advan-
tageous to assure farmers some de-
pendable income even in time Of utter
crop failure" Farrell said.
The benefit payments designed on
the average to bring production under
control and cut down SurpluseS also
are designed to help the farmers who
in drought or other calamitouS cir
4 n rnt Of
He added that the crop insurance
feature" Of the wheat plan means a
better balanced production, better
income from the crop and protection
against price ruination through ac-
emulation of great surpluSeS.
Balances Income.
But it also means a balanced in
come for farmers as between one year
of cruel drought and other years OF
plenty
Reliable estimates placed damage
to the wheat crop from drought. heat
and soil blowing at 100000 bushels
and the Weather Bureau gave only
slight promise for any general relief
in the affected areas Yesterdays
crop report estimated damage during
April to have been more than 30
900, 900 bushels, but did not take into
account extreme damage Of the past
10 days.
Today's Weather Bureau report
showed there had been no rain in the
drought area during the past "a hours
There is a probability of some loca
showers tonight or tomorrow in the
DakotaS, Nebraska and Kansas anC
also tomorrow in Western Minnesota
extreme Western Iowa and Western
Missouri.
No other precipitation is indicated
for the grain States during the next
"a hours. the bureau said, but cooler
weather was forecast tonight in the
extreme Eastern wheat belt. with the
probability of light frosts in some
sections of Ohio, Michigan anC
Northern Indiana.
Latest official figures taking no &C.
count of the havoc caused by heat
wind and lack of rain in the last 1C
days, related that even on the basis
of previous conditions, many crop.
will be the worst in years.
There certainly is no immediate
danger of food shortage Of any kline
in this country" said Secretary Wal.
lace, but if this drought continue;
it behooveS all Of us to do some really
serious thinking
IF we should have a succession oil
drought years, We would want to be
sure that we had an agricultural pro-
gram sufficiently flexible SO that the
farmers of the United States coulc
not only be assured of food them.
selves, but also be sure OF providing
an adequate supply to other people Of
this country who depend on them fol
food"