Evening star., 1940-12-27
High Pork Price Seen;
Wickard Appeals
For More Pigs
Beef Supplies Also
Nay Be Reduced,
Secretary Warns

Almost eight years after the intro
duction of the crop-control program,
the Agriculture Department today
launched a program of education
aimed at the increase in the Ameri-
can supply of one of its masl i'm
portant farm products, hogs. Secre-
tary Wickard issued statement
warning the public that the store
price of pork and ham is headed for
a raise and asking the farmers to
raise more pigs.
The meat-eating public may find
a diminution in marketed beef sup
plies during the coming year, too,
Mr.. Wickard said making total sup
plies of all meats less in 1941 than
In 1910.
During the last few years." Mr..
Wickard said, cattle producers
have been holding back breeding
stock from market and increasing
the number of cattle on farms and
ranches
Present indications are that
cattle numbers will increase for a
few more years and that marketings
of cattle will not increase greatly
during this period"
Advises Against Cattle Hoarding.
The Secretary appealed to the
cattle growers to cease boarding
their stocks:
IF, instead of continuing to in
crease cattle numbers, producers
should increase their marketings
during the period when prices are
being stimulated by strong demand
they would avoid relatively large
marketings at the end of three or
four years when consumer demand
may be less favorable than at
present.
With the expanding domestic de-
mand arising from the defense pro-
gram, farmers apparently will profit
more If, in the months ahead, they
increase the number of pigs raised
and send more cattle to market"
Smaller Pig Crop Predicted.
In the face of increasing demand
for meat, the current pig crop re-
port issued by the Agriculture De-
partment indicates that the 194l
spring pig crop will be about ID per
cent smaller than in 1910. The 1910
crop of spring and fall pigs was
about 10 per cent smaller than the
record high production of 1899.
This decrease has not yet been
reflected in marketings," Mr.. Wick
ard said, "but a substantial de-
crease in marketings is expected
during the next few months. The
reduction in supplies and the in
creased consumer income is ex-
pected to result in considerably
higher prices in 1941."
For the farmers, these higher
prices will mean that they come
nearer than they have in recent
years to getting what the Agricul-
ture Department calls parity
prices" for their hogs. The average
price was 68 per cent of parity in
1899, and through November, this
year, the average price was only SO
per cent of parity.
The current price of hogs at the
farm is Sc hundred pounds, "un-
profitable" says Mr.. Wickard.
Farm Program Reviewed.
The Secretary reviewed in his
statement the manner in which the
Roosevelt farm program has pro-
tected the hog farmer during the
market vicissitudes of recent years.
Pork and lard were marketed by the
Government through the food stamp
program. Farmers received loans on
corn, which stimulates or inhibits
hog production, depending on the
size of the corn crop.
While the statement may have i'm
plications of unexpected household
spending by the urban consumer,
Mr.. Wickard stressed for the farmer
that the current market situation
will have the happy result of off
setting in large degree the cost of
lost overseas markets shut off by
the war
For 1940-41 exports of pork are
expected to be only about $4,000 900
pounds and of lard about 80, 900 900
pounds, compared with the exports
in 1939-40 of 14O,0OOO00 pounds of
pork and 257,000,00O pounds of lard.