Evening star., 1942-05-31
By Ovid A. Martin,
Wide World.


The Agriculture Departments crop
planners must make a difficult decision
regarding wheat within the next few
weeks.
They are confronted by this question:
SHOULD next years war food program
call upon farmers to plant less land TO
wheat?"
The department must answer TINS
question soon, because farmers begin
making plans in July and early August
for seeding the important winter wheat
crop for harvest the following summer.
Most of the winter wheat Is planted III
September and October.
Plain economics seem to call for re-
duction in the wheat acreage. Ihe
United States is literally swimming In
the grain. 1t soon will begin harvesting
a near-bumper crop from subnormal
acreage. This crop will be added to
a record reserve from precious crops.
officials expect the supply to total
close to 1,50O 900 bushels. Never be-
fore has the country had that much OF
the bread grain at one time. This guam
tity would be enough to meet the coun-
try's normal needs for more than two
years.
With the country at war and needing
a larger supply of food than ever before,
the farm officials are glad that there Is
plenty of wheat But the prospective
after-harvest supply is far greater than
a war-strained transportation system
and storage facilities will be able to
handle.
Warehouses and elevators in terminal
markets are virtually filled to capacity
with the reserve from past crops. Like
wise, bins and cribs on farms hold more
grain than ever before in pre-harvest
period. The bulk of this years crop
will have to be held on farms because
railroads have given notice that they
will move no grain to market unless
storage space Is available at the des-
tination. Freight cars are needed for
movement of war materials and hence
cannot be used for storage as they have
been in the past.
Much new storage space is being built
on farms to handle the grain. But
whether there will be sufficient new
construction to house all the grain IS
doubtful Many million bushels may
have to be piled in open field.
In normal times the departments
crop planners would not hesitate to ask
farmers to cut production sharply until
some surplus could be disposed Of.
But these are not normal times.
Some food authorities contend that
the Government should take no chances
of running short on wheat during the
war period. They say it would be bet
ter to continue producing extra grain.
even though some of it went to waste,
rather than to risk running short.
A shortage of wheat, they recalled,
contributed to Germany's defeat in
World War I and may again contribute
to that countrys downfall.
Those who argue against reducing
wheat acreages say that unforeseen de-
mands may arise during the next IL
months to reduce this country's wheat
supply to an uncomfortably low level.
They point to recent statements by
Secretary of Agriculture Wickard that
this country may run into shortages Of
some foods.
These same officials express the opin-
ion that the general public would be
extremely critical of any Government
action designed to reduce wheat pro-
duction, even though present supplies
are overburdening storage facilities.
A. A. A. officials recognize that the
wheat supply situation could change
within few months. A drought in the
Midwest this summer could result in
short corn crop. In such an event it
would become necessary to use large
quantities of wheat to feed the largest
number of cattle, hogs and poultry Amer
lean farmers have ever had