Laurel outlook., 1945-02-28

SUGAR B ETS
= N: e. !, + s, s:;ssi 81 %5S 41; :; E s1 f; " ss5'SS $ $sE s3ssas s 1 :" "A Ar = sSs$a5 4 q 4 4
W re reprntng major portions of these brOadcasts.
"MR. GEIssLER: The sugar beet is an important member of
the army of farm products, ready for action on all fronts The familiar
slogan, Food Fights for Freedom, doesn't stretch facts a bit. Some
folks say that Food is fuel Of vctory-and that's a pretty good way of
and at their battle stations all over the world. And sugar is an i'm
portant item O. our wartime bill of fare.
Sugar helps to provide the extra energy or extra a duties de-
mand. That's why it's included in ration kits issued to soldiers sailors,
and marines everywhere. The American fighting man uss about twice
as much sugar as he did when he "a a civilian.
"That means or consumption has steadily increased during the
war years. In fact right now, sugar supplies have reached their most
critical stage since the a began. We've dipped into om sugar re-
serves until there aren't any more reserve that we can safely use.
Our production of sugar can in the United States is about up to the
capacity of processing factories. So we couldn't benefit by increasing
sugarcane acreage very much. You might ask why don't we import
nor sugar? With the production in Hawaii and Puerto Rico at no
nor than normal level we have had to make up the difference brought
about by the loss of the Philippine supply by bringing in nor sugar
from Cuba However, according to present estimates, the current sugar
cane crop in Cuba will be smaller than last years. On top of all that
our ships are pretty busy these days hauling wartime materials. No sir
we al expand.
country agreed that we'd have to set the sugar beet goal at s1 thous-
and acres for 1915. That's nearly fifty per cent more than al planted
have to plant about fifteen acres this year tx meet that goal AS a
matter of fact, we need to hit the ceiling of wartime production capacity.
It's either increase supplies or decrease consumption. If W e meet the
acreage goal established for 1945-wth average yieds-we should be
able to satisfy minimum needs, both military and civilian If We don't
meet the goal, W e won't have that much.
Maybe, before you plan to do any wholesale increasing in your
acreage, you'd like % know what kind of prices you'll get this year.
We'll, don't let that stop you. Under arrangements in effect between
sugar beet professors and the War Food Administration, you'll get at
least as much for the 1916 crop as the prices guaranteed last year. So
there's not much to worry about there.
"But not so long ago, [ "a out in the sugar beet country, talking
to ome of the farmers who are going to plant more acres to sugar
beets this year. And found the same question raised everywhere /
went:-What are we going to do about the supply of nanpOwer? The
production of sugar beds requires a great deal of hand labor during
thinning and at harvest time. Well, here's the answer to that n Is
I see it. There should be enough emergency labor available to see us
through this year. The War Food Administration plans to bring in
the m amount of foreign labor is they did in 1944-And then the
WA will cOOpeIate with the War Department in the assignment OF
prisoners of war to sugar beet production areas 1t looks now as
if we'll have even more prison labor than we had last year. So the
manpower shortage does not raise al obstacle that will be impossible
to overcome Nothing should stop is from producing more sugar.
We're facing the most critical stage in our sugar supply since the 70
began"