The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-01-15
YOUR
FARM PROBLEM
By EZRA TAFT BENSON
Secretary Of Agriculture

Any effective solution of to-
days farm problem must provide
methods for reducing our huge
stockpile of agricultural COM
modities and at the same time
prevent further burdensome ac-
cumulations.
Getting rid of these SURPRISES
is only half of our problem. Even
if we were able to bring them
down to manageable proportions,
we would soon acquire new
boards of wheat, corn, cotton and
butter under the existing system
of price supports.
We already have approx
mately SIS billions tied up in
loans on farm commodities, in
addition to an equal amount in
vested in goods which we own
outright = SIS billions in ALL
Our present program does not
encourage the production shifts
which are required to meet the
changing market demands for
various commodities.
OF course, we could destroy
some of our SURPRISES. Remember
the governments potato fiasco of
I few years ago?
Or we might pillow under every
third row of cotton and kill little
pigs. Remember the mid-1930's?
Actually, we would not even
consider such wasteful practices.
We &C attempting to rove
surplus food and fibe~ into FIR
ciga markets. World prices, how
N''or - we'll below the figures
at which we acquired these COM
modities under our price support
operations. This means that we
will be forced to take substantial
losses on whatever we sell
abroad.
At the same time, we must
avoid outright dumping, which
would disrupt normal trade chan
nels and bring down upon us the
wrath of other friendly countries.
There are these other alterna-
tives: We can make a real effort
to move SURPRISES out of ware
houses and into stomachs by pro-
noting greater public consump-
ton of some commodities. We can
push forward in our research
programs to uncover new uses
for farm goods. We can throw our
entire weight behind plans for
expanding present foreign mar
kets and finding new outlets
overseas.
Such methods, while they will
not produce results as quickly as
dumping or destroying food, offer
a far sounder approach to our
basic problems.
Along those lines, I can report
that our promotional campaign,
undertaken with the meat in
dustry and food stores, is pro-
ducing real results. We are con-
Stunning beef this year at the rate
of IS pounds per person, the high
est in our history.
Farm exports have turned up
ward since July l, rejecting our
emphasis upon expanding trade
Continued high employment at
home, with national income at
record levels, means strong de-
mand for farm goods in the
United States.
Our population is growing at a
rate of more than 100000 per
year, which means that by 1857
there will be 200,000,000 Amer
leans. Our future farm problems
may involve questions of short
ages, rather than SURPRISES.
We cannot wait for on ex-
panding population to solve our
immediate troubles, however. We
need an interim program to en-
courage shifts to other crops. We
must halt further build-ups of
government stockpiles now.
Our urgent need is for a price
support program which can be
adjusted in terms of production
and demand. One which will
effectively reduce SURPRISES, with
a minimum of government con-
trolls.
That is our immediate goal.
Such a program will be offered
to Congress by this Administra-
ton in January.