Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-15
NATIONAL REVIEW
Farm Bill Crossroads

At his news conference on April
4, President Eisenhower set forth
two criteria for what he called a
good" farm bill: 1t would have to
provide long term" benefits for
the farmer. and it should include
provisions to help them now"
After so days of Senate debate
and conference committee compro-
missing. Congress came up with a
measure its sponsors declare would
meet these two requirements. With
a return to high rigid price sup
ports, the bill offered immediate
help. A soil bank plan, under which
land would be withdrawn from pro-
duction under Government subsidy,
was included to help over the long
haul.
Despite this apparent meeting of
the Presidents requirements. many
signs pointed to veto of the bill.
Agriculture Secretary Benson said
fatty that it was unacceptable" to
him. 1t wasn't that the economi-
cally depressed farmers had not
been provided with both long and
short term aid. What seemed to
trouble the administration was the
manner by which short term aid
had been written into the bill.
The Objectionobles
Heading the list of Objectionable
provisions, in the view of the adj
ministration, was one-year return
to rigid price supports at 80 per
cent of parity for cotton. wheat.
corn. peanuts and rice (under
special law. tobacco supports have
been maintained at 80 per cent all
along. The bill also returned to a
previously discarded formula for
figuring parity in cases where use
of the current formula would re-
duce parity levels.
Another provision which made
the unhappy Mr.. Benson unhappier
was a plan that would give wheat
growers 100 per cent of parity for
all the wheat they grow for the
domestic market, which is about
half the marketable crop. This do
nestle parity plan. which was
similarly applied to rice. would go
into effect next year, if two-thirds
of the wheat farmers say they want
1t. The minimum support level for
dairy products was raised from rs
to 80 per cent of parity-this also
over administration objections.
Several complicated provisions for
feed grains also ran into admins
tration opposition.
Soil Bonk He'd Two Aims
Mr.. Eisenhower in January asked
for a soil bank program comprising
two features. One he enviSioned as
providing long term aid, the other
as putting more money in the
farmers pockets this year. Congress
gave him the soil bank. but too late
in the planting year to benefit the
farmers in 1856. The two-part soil
bank plan would:
. Set up an acreage reserve on
yearly basis which would require
the participating growers of wheat.
cotton. corn, peanuts, rice. tobacco
and feed grains to reduce their
acreage of these crops below their
allotments, or below their three
year average in the case of feed
grains. In return. the farmer would
be paid from SIS to $500 for each
such retired acre, depending on
what crop he takes out of produc-
ton. .
. Institute a conservation reserve
program which would remove acre
age from crop production on a
temperament basis Participating
farmers would receive payments
approximately equalling the rental
value Of the retired land.
Supports-Rigid or Flexible?
Mr.. Eisenhower has protested
that enacting high and rigid sup
ports at the same time soil bank
plan is set up is inconsistent. He
favors the flexible supports now in
effect. The President argues that 80
per cent supports increase pro-
duction and add to the Govern
ment's vast storehouse of surplus
crops. situation the soil bank is
specifically designed to alleviate
On the other hand, on April 4, the
President himself noted that the
planting season was too we'll along
to permit any effective operation of
the soil bank this year. Also every
basic crop entitled to 80 per cent of
parity support is under strict acre
age allotment plans. Because most
Of these crops have already been
put into the ground, it is hardly
possible that the one-year return to
high and rigid supports could result
in an increase in the acreage and
production Of surplus crops in 1856.
This consideration no doubt will
be a major one when the President
finally decides either to veto the bill
and let the present law stand, or
sign 1t, and in so doing virtually
repudiate his Secretary Of Agri-
culture.
Friday night, at Mr.. EiSenhower's
request. Mr.. Benson and five ad-