The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-06-10

baDson PARK, MASS, June ~
The industrial and defense areas OF
the country have long occupied our
attention. Now comes the turn OF
our rural areas. The outlook for
farm communities is now seen more
clearly than was possible at the
time | made by Annual Business
Forecast on January !, 1871. II will
be a good year for farmers. Defense
spending has been filtering through
for several months past into the
great agricultural areas. Large
crops. the signing OF the Fulmer
Parity Bill by the President, contin-
ual government buying. and other
factors, all forecast better times
in the wheat belt.
What 10 Parlty7
For the past twenty years, sue
ceeding administrations have tried
various ways to restore farm pur'
chasing power to the level OF the
years l909-l9l4. To bolster the lat
est attempt, the current farm bill
provides for Commodity Credit Cor
poration loans up to IS per cent OF
the prices which wheat, corn, cot
ton. rice, and tobacco brought In
l909.14. Thus, farmers would be
able temporarily to provide for
their needs In keeping up with ad-
vancing living costs II market
prices do not rise high enough to
make cash sales more attractive.
Commodity prices, wage rates,
and other factors in the cost-of-
living picture are moving upward
gradually at the present time. I'm
less the farmer can receive some
thing more than existing farm ben
efits he may find himself in a bad
way in competing with industrial
workers for the necessities and
some OF the luxuries of life. The
farmer is in a far different posi-
tion economically from the wage
worker in that he has no one to look
10 for a raise in wages. Hence, the
Administration set up machinery
in the form OF the mandatory loan
bill TO permit the farmer to borrow
larger amounts against his crops
than has been the case In previous
years.
Big Supply Of Wheat
Considering all crops. current
surveys indicate that total acreage
planted this year will be about the
same as last year. Allowing for ia
vorable weather, the yield should
thus be about the same as a year
ago. Wheat is the one crop, how
ever, that looks like 1t is going
places in a big way. At least, with
forecasts OF total supply OF 1880
million bushels. we shall have a do
nestle supply equal to the record OF
1880 million bushels in 1931.1932.
Certainly. 1941 will be a good
year for the grains although from
a statistical point of view the sit.
uation does not look so favorable.
This is due to two factors. (D The
large carry-over. (2) A big prospec
tive crop. The large carry-over Is
not such a factor this year as in
previous years. After all, our rate
OF domestic consumption is running
at high levels. True, normal export
markets are shut off at the moment;
but before the year is over we may
be called upon to feed some OF the
conquered nations. Part Of the gov
ernment-owned supplies will go TO
feed our armed forces. While in any
year Of so-called normal conditions
would be disturbed over the sta.
tistical position of the grains, yet |
cannot now get excited over either
the size OF the carry-over or the new
crop.
Farmers Share Defense Profits
With the rise in consumer pur-
chasing power, due TO increased
wages and dividends, more money |
will be spent for farm products. Not |
only the wheat grower and those
engaged In the raising of other
grains, but also all other types OF |
farming. including cattle and hogs, |
fruit and poultry, cotton and sheep, |
as well as dairying will bring in |
more money as the defense pro-
gram continues. We also must not |
forget that the purchasing program
covers the export OF farm products
under the provisions OF the Lease