Imperial Valley press., 1938-05-22
News Behind
the News
The Farm Program :.
Trouble Ahead

tell vet now well OF. pauly llie he"
farm program Will work out, but
events have progressed far enough
to indicate that it may be head
ed for plenty OF trouble.
The wheat carryover threatens
to be the argest in history and the
government is fairly certain to be
up to its neck in loans to farmers
on that commodity. The cotton
carryover is being estimated at
around 100000 bales and al
though a 35 per cent cut in cot
ton acreage has been called for,
farmers are reported piling so
much fertilizer on their soil that
the effectiveness of the cut is
problematical.
The corn crop situation also
worries AAA officials.
Some pessimists predict that the
government will have to keep on
making crop loans and that acre
age cuts in future years must be
made increasingly more drastic as
larger supplies accumulate. The
specter of non-co-operation is espe-
cially bothering AAA.
The five major commodities IN
volved in the program are wheat.
cotton, corn, tobacco and rice. The
plan first provides for national
acreage allotments, with bonuses
to farmers who restrict planting
to given acreages as part of a
soil conservation program.
So far the program is voluntary
and any farmer can stay, in or out
of it. But if supplies threaten to
run above estimated national
needs. farmers are asked to vote
on the compulsory feature-mar-
keting quotas with penalties for
farmers who sell in excess of their
individual quotas, A, tWo-thirds
vote is required before the Sec
retary of Agriculture. may impose
quotas. Then there are crop loans,
which amount to price guarantees,
since the government assumes any.
loss.
Here's what is happening under
this program to date:
Wheat: Confusion as to allot-
ments was expected, as winter
wheat had been planted last sum-
mer and fall before the act passed.
Instead of growing the 62,500,000,-
600 allotted acres of wheat, farm
ers have grown 80 million acres.
This years total wheat supply is
estimated at 1,l50,000,000 bushels
and the carryover at 400,000,000.
Under the act, no marketing
quota is provided for the 1898
crop. But the supply is so large
that Secretary Wallace is expected
to make allotments for the 1899
crop which would cut wheat acre
age from 80 million acres to so
million acres. Wheat loans on the
1888 crop seem certain.
Cotton: Growers voted more
than 80 per cent in favor of mar
keting quotas on the 1888 crop
Acreage allotment reduced a pre-
program average of 100000
acres to 100000 acres. The sup
ply for this year is about 24500,-
600 bales whereas supply of only
1880, 900 bales is required in order
to have marketing quota vote.
Corn: Acreage allotments have
been cut from At to 40 million
acres in commercial" corn crop
counties. The carryover next. Octo-
ber is expected to be twice aver
age size. August crop reports will
tell whether the quota level of g.
8OO0OO,OOO bushels supply is ex-
ceeded If SO, Wallace will an
nounce corn marketing quotas on
the 1888 crop, subject to ratifica-
ton by two-thirds vote of eli
gible farmers.
Tobacco: Farmers have voted
for marketing quotas on fluecured
and dark air-cured and fire-cured
tobacco, supplies having overrun
quota levels. Individual allotments
on hurley tobacco haven't yet been
made.
Rice: No marketing quota was
provided for rice for 1898, although
the supply is above the quota
level. Acreage. allotmcnts are yet
to be made.