The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-04-20
Farm Security
Is Discussed By
W. Bryan Oliver
AOcal Supervisor Delivered
Interesting Address At RO-
tary Club Meeting.

A brief history of the object
ives, present program and past
accomplishments of the Farm
Security Administration in the
nation and in this section were
clearly and interestingly outlin-
ed by Bryan Oliver in an address
Before the Jeffersons Rotary club
East Thursday night.
1.-THE Farm Security Admins
tration was created to assist low
Ancome families" he stated. "At
chat time there were over 900,-
300 farm families on relief and
many others were about to loose
their home. A large percentage
Of the farmers of the country were
heavily in debt and much of the
soil on which they were living
was almost completely worn
out he explained.
AS additional background of
the farm situation that existed in
A$iS5, MIR. Oliver pointed out that
fUr many years after the discov-
cry Of this country, the farmers
sgloVed from one section to an
0Sher as rapidly as the fertility
nj the soil was consumed, but fl
x1al1y all of the new lands were
settled and the last frontier van
aSl7ed. Then developed the prob
lem of conserving and restoring
stte lands which had been badly
sssiNISed
The program, he said, was
FIRST set up as the Resettlement
Administration and was later
changed to the Farm Security
Administration whose activities
are threefold: first, handling the
.sarm debt adjustment program;
second, rural rehabilitation and
third, farm planning,
The United States is divided
INTO II regions and this section is
IN region four, which is consid-
cred one of the problem areas of
che country, he asserted.
In North Carolina the Farm Sc
xeurity has about SO county units
aand in each one of them there are
-Four peOple-the supervisor, as
ssiStant supervisor, home super
syiSor and secretary.
The personnel of the county Of
f1ce here. which now serves AL
s,eghany and Ashe counties is
composed of Mr.. Oliver, super
visor; Wayne D. Ferguson, assis-
{ ant; Miss Lena Gambill, home
supervisor and Miss Ruth Nc
N ell, secretary.
Up until recently this office al
$40 included Wilkes county where
che tenant farm purchase pro-
gram is being carried out.
Mr.. Oliver said the work in
thlS section has been confined
largely to making small loans to
sleedy families and to helping
6hem map out farm or livestock
qrogram to fit their particular
requirements.
During the past two years we
'f1ave made around $50 loans
which averaged about $4,000
zach in Ashe and Allegheny"
he stated.
Under their supervision, this
money was spent for farm i'm
plaments, seeds, fertilizer, live
stock and other things needed to
EatSe crops or cattle.
He stated that most of the
loans have been good ones and
that they have only had a few
foreclosures.
The alarming tendency today is
the increase of tenant farming. he
stated and then told about the
plan by which tenants can pur-
'Gnase their farms through a gov
eminent agency administered by
T@sle Farm Security.
This program was started two
gears ago as an experiment.
Seventeen counties in this state
were selected, of which Wilkes
was one. Eight tenants in that
county were selected last year
and money was loaned to them
TO purchase their farms.
II this fine program turns out
40 be "a success, it will of course
zoe expanded" he said.
Mr.. oliver was introduced bv
ERotarlan Bel Austin, program
chairman.