Evening star., 1941-11-04
Wickard Would Limit
Some Farm Products
To ITO Pei. Of Pariy
Rodio Forum Speaker
Says Farms Fear InfIotion
In Hi ieher Food Prices

In Higher Food Prices
"Our Food Production Program"
was the topic of the Radio Forum
address last night Of Secretary Of
Agriculture Claude R. Wickard. The
Forum, arranged by The Star and
broadcast over a National Broad
casting Co. network. was heard
locally over Station WMAL.
The text of Secretary Wickard's
address follows:
There never has been q time in
the history of the world when so
many people were conscious of food
and its importance as is the case
today. Over 500,000,OOe people in
Europe are on rations. If they are
In the army, probably they get
enough to eat. If they are civilians,
probably they are hungry almost all
the time and it's likely they've just
about forgotten what it's like to
have all the food they want.
We're mighty lucky here in the
United States. We have plenty Of
food and so far as We can see now
we'll continue to have plenty. We
might distribute what we have more
evenly. but there's no doubt that
Americans are the best fed people
In the world.
Germany has chosen guns instead
OF butter. We're turning out the
guns, too. Yet so great is our pro-
ductive capacity that we probably
can have guns and butter, too.
Tonight, am going to talk about
the food end of our production job.
Producing the food we need won't
be an easy task by any means. Not
only are we going to provide food
for ourselves, we're going to provide
food for Britain, too, and the British
need lots of food. For example, they
need meat, cheese and eggs enough
10 supply about q fourth Of the Brit
ish population. And, before this
thing is over, We may have to feed
other countries besides ourselves and
Britain.
Wheat Supply Plentiful.
Next year, we'll need to produce
more food than We ever produced
before. Well need to break the rec
ord high We are setting this year
and the previous high record Of
1910.
Speaking as a farmer, it seems
little strange to be worrying about
the possibility OF having too little.
Most farmer worries since the de-
preston have been what to do with
surpluses. These surpluses piled up
IN elevators, warehouses and other
storage places and they really bore
down on farm prices.
But I'm not going to talk about
that tonight I'm going to talk
about our food situation in terms Of
the present. First, however, let me
emphasize one thing We don't need
more Of every farm product. We
need more Of some things and less
Of others.
During the first World War we
needed more of almost everything.
For example, we needed more wheat.
We plowed up the plains and seeded
them to wheat: and in doing so we
also sowed the seeds of the dust
storms. Now, we don't need more
wheat; we have . two-year supply
on hand already. We don't need
more cotton: we have more than We
know what to do with; and the same |
thing Is true of tobacco.
Fruits, Dairy Products Needed.
What farm products, then, do We
need? Well, as most Of you prob
ably know, We need more dairy
products, more poultry products,
more pork and more Of a good many
fruits and vegetables. Already we've
set about getting more Of the things
we need and farmers are continuing
to hold down on the production Of
the things We don't need.
Now, back to our immediate sit
uation. There are q lot Of ques-
tions to be answered in connection
with this food effort. Several Of
them keep coming up constantly.
One is-can our farmers produce
the food We need? And people are
always asking-what does the food
program mean In terms Of food
supplies and food prices In this
country? What does 1t mean to
farmers and what does 1t mean to
consumers?
The answer to the first question,
~ produce the food We need, is, In
my opinion, an emphatic yes. We
can produce 1t, and We produce It
barring, Of course, q terrible drought
next year or some other unforeseen
calamity.
. AS I said . moment ago, already
we've made q pretty good start on
this Job Of increased production. We
began In 1910 when the Depart
ment of Agriculture advised farm
ers to raise more hogs. At that
time hogs were so low in price
farmers were losing money on them.
Quite . few people wondered about
the advisability Of raising more
hogs under such circumstances.
Nevertheless, farmers did raise
more hogs. Not only that but the
department encouraged them to
feed their hogs to heavier weights,
thus providing still more pork.
(, Commitments TO British.
r I am not saying that pork Is
cheap. even though it has gone
down lately. But I am saying that