The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-01-23
Wheat Corryover
Means Much To
City Housewife
n. nNIH TIN
BY OVID A. MARTIN

Washington News stories
about food shortages abroad and
the amount OF aid being supplied
by this country often quote some
authority about the danger of re-
ducing the wheat carryover' to
too low a level.
The phrase wheat earryover'
has a definite meaning to the
farmer, the grain merchant, the
miller, the food manufacturer and
the exporter.
But the city housewife and fam
lily breadwinner may feel that it
is something that doesn't affect
them. If they do, they're wrong.
The wheat carryover might be
likened to the amount of money
the family lays away out of
each years income for a rainy
day. No prudent government
will permit its supply of bread
grain to dwindle if it can help it.
Experience has shown that pro-
duction of wheat and other crops
is at best a hazardous thing, beset
by tickle weather and attacks Of
insect pests and plant diseases.
So the government, in sharing
this country's wheat supplies with
hungry areas abroad, must be
careful lest it empty wheat bins
and leave its consumers at the
mercy of a wheat crop failure
next year.
The result might we'll be rigid
bread rationing and there's
where the city housewife and
breadwinner is affected by the
caryover or reserve of wheat.
How much wheat should the
nation carry over from one crop
year to another as insurance
against a bread and flour short
age? There is no officially or
unofficially set figure.
In the five years before the
war the wheat crop averaged
about $50, 1000 900 bushels. At the
beginning of each harvest in
these years the country had an
average carryover of about $780,
100000 bushels.
This average carryover. was
equivalent to about "a percent of
the amount of grain used annual
ly for food, livestock feed, seed
and industrial uses. In normal
times a caryover of this size is
generally considered to be ade-
quate.
The carrvover reached a rec
ord of $50, 600. 900 bushels in 1912.
Normally. a reserve of this size
would have bten considered a
burden upon the economy be-
cause of its ice-depressing eff
fects, the cost of storage, etc.
But, coming when it did, when
the nation was striving to expand
food production for the war, this
large carryover was put to good
use. 1t long since has been used
up.
Since the wal ended, carry
overs have been reduced to lev
els considered by officials to be
dangerously low. The carryover
at the end of the 1916 crop year
was down to 5000, 900 bushels
or only about 10 percent of the
nations annual needs.
Secretary of Agriculture An
derson has said he does not want
it to drop below 100000 600 BUSH
| els this crop year. He would like
it to be at least 200,000,0 900 BUSH
els.
The government can govern the
size of the carryover by reducing
or increasing exports. The final
figure for this crop year will be
determined largely by outlook for
next years wheat crop. In the
spring, if the crop outlook is dark,
exports will be reduced so that a
larger carryover could be kept
than if the crop outlook is favor
able.
In normal times farmers do not
like TO have too large a carry
over, because of its priee-depress-
ing effects. They can keep it from
going too high by r~esorting to
cron control nroorame