Evening star., 1953-11-05
Farmers Irked
ByFedera|Hay
Relief Program
Charge AIIocotion
insufficient to
Meet Virginia Needs
BY james BirchfieId

Governments program to pro-
vide hay for farmers suffering
from effects of last summers
It was the concensus among
farm leaders that the funds al
located for Virginia from the
Governments hay fund are in
sufficient to meet the needs in
disaster counter.
The State griculture Depart
ment has divided $130,887 of
the $4,000 Federal hay fund
among the 38 drought disaster
counties, retaining the balance
in a reserve fund.
With the Government paying
So a ton against hay freight
costs, the total now allocated to
counties will provide a little
more than 10000 tons of hay.
If the railroads cut in half the
hay freight rates, then this
amount would double. but still
would remain far short of Vir-
ginia needs.
Needs Outrun Supply.
Estimates of hay requirements
made by county farm agents in
four Northern Virginia counties,
with Federal aid at SO a ton.
would require more funds than
the total allocated for the entire
State.
In Frederick County. for ex-
ample, County Agent John Wolfe
estimated that farmers would
require some 10000 tons of hay
to see them through the winter.
With an $8-a-ton subsidy,
this county alone would require
$f60,00O almost the total pro-
vided for Virginia.
In addition to Frederic k
County, already designated a
drought disaster area, Fauquier
County estimates a need for
about $4,000 tons of hay, Fair
fax County about 5000 tons
and Loudoun County at least
1000 tons.
Fauquier Fairfax and Loudoun
have not yet been declared
disaster area, although
their requests have been ap-
by the State Agriculture
Mobilization Committee.
First to Frederick.
Frederick County, among the
first in Virginia to be made eli
gible for drought relief. is pre-
pairing to receive its initial ship
ment of emergency grain and
supplements.
Robert Daley of the County
Mobilization Committee, which
must certify applications from
farmers for relief, said a total
of "a farmers have been certi-
fed to receive grain and supple
The first car Of cotton
seed meal is expected at Win
chester soon.
Mr.. Daley said applications
have been approved for 94.25
tons of cottonseed meal. 1903
bushels of corn, 1883 bushels of
oats. 15A tons of mixed dairy
feeds and ga tons of straight
mixed feeds.
The grain and supplements
are owned by the Government
and are sold to farmers at re-
duced prices. Making Govern
ment-owned grains available to
drought-stricken farmers, it was
stated, would reduce the de-
mands for hay in foundation
herds.
BY feeding extra grain, it is
claimed. farmers can cut hay
consumption by about 10 pounds
per animal per day.
Some Virginia farmers have
been critical of the drought re-
lief program from the begin
ming. The Government was
especially criticized for not MAX
ing hay a part of the relief pro-
gram at the start.
Farmers Complaint.
In some areas residents COM
planned that a farmer, in order
to qualify for drought assist
ance, had to be "at the pauper
level" unable to get credit from
an established agency.
Instructions to local mobiliza-
tion ommittees, however,
stressed that the condition of a
farmers credit should not be the
entire basis for providing relief
Mr.. Daley said instructions
clearly state that if a farmer
has some money in the bank and
can borrow funds, this should
not deprive him of receiving
drought assistance.
He said many more applica-
tions for relief are expected as
the feeding season advances.
Farmers must be short of grain
supplies before making apph-
cations.
From another quarter the Vir-
ginia drought relief program
also was criticized. In a tele-
gram to Parke c. Brinkley. State
Commissioner of Agriculture,
Morrell Clarke, publisher of the
South Boston News, said Vir-
ginia farmers are receiving less
in drought assistance than was
promised by Washington. He
charged the program favored the
well-to-do farmer and not the
man on the disaster line"
Mr.. Brinkley said in reply that
Virginia farmers are receiving
every dollar that "Washington