The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-11-25
CROP PROGRAM ESSENTIAL


The agricultural program of the New Deal
administration during the past five years has
clearly proven that the prosperity of the United
States is dependent, to a great extent, upon a
permanent farm sterilization plan, and we hope
that this special session of Congress will enact
a long-range policy that will not only be con-
stitutional but also simple and effective in &C
complishing the desired results.
production of farm products was one of
the chief causes of the depression. Because
of enormous SURPRISES, without adequate means
of distribution, prices for agricultural crops hit
the bottom in 1882.
Realizing the immediate necessity for cor
recting this condition, the New Deal admins
tration set up the Agricultural Adjustment Ad-
ministration which provided payments to farm
ers for crop reductions and after the Supreme
Court declared this act unconstitutional in
1885, the payments were shifted from commodi-
ties to soil conservation and opened the pay
ments to range land livestock men, fruits and
vegetable growers With the exception of pro-
cessing taxes, the program Fundamentally re-
manned the same, but the named benefits were
changed in order to comply with the constitu-
tional limitations
The success of this program during these five
years has been gratifying to everyone. Besides
having received over $350OOOO,OO0 in benefit
payments for compliance with the program the
income of the farmers for their products has
doubled In 1882 the national farm income was
$4328 600, 900, while in 1887 it is estimated that
the income will he so O00 00O OO0
AS has been frequently pointed out, every
body benefits when farmers receive reason
able prices for their products, and the "every-
normal granary" policy which Secretary Wal
lace has advocated appears to be ideal. If it
is made into law, it should keep agricultural
prices and supply on more or less even keel,
and at the same time conserve and build up the
SOIL 1t provides for the government purchase
of SURPRISES to be distributed to the needy. In
other words, it recognizes the fact that pro-
duction cannot be stabilized completely due to
the variations in weather and growing condi-
tons that cause the yield per acre to be great
er in some years than in others This proposed
program also provides that farmers be paid for
shifting acreage from soil-depleting crops to
soil-building crops.
Of course everybody participates in the bene-
fits derived from maintaining adequate farm
incomes, but we never have been completely
in accord with the plan of large acreage reduc-
ton payments. It is big burden on the tax
payers and the farmers themselves are rapald
in terms of higher prices and better SOIL
Unless compulsory crop control is adopted,
and we hope that will not be necessary it is
=. probably necessary to continue the benefit
payments in order to get the voluntary cooper
alton of the farmers to insure the success OF
reduction.
The 1888 program which is now being ex-
planned to farmers in Ashe, as well as through
out the country, is essentially the same as the
1887 plan, except that individual acreage goals
are set up. The amount of the payments re-
mains practically the same.
It is significant to note that this year nearly
three times as many farmers in Ashe county
are cooperating with the program as there were
in 1886, when the benefit payments alone to-
tailed over 100000 There are three differ
ent ways in which the farmers can comply with
the 1888 program and we hope that much
larger number will sign up when they are given
the opportunity to do so.