The Sidney herald., 1961-06-07
FIJI Head Issues
Statement On
Agricultural Act

Montana Farmers Union issued
the following statement on the
Agricultural Act of 1861:
There is a great urgency for
action to improve and protect farm
prices and income. AS a means of
developing farm prosperity the
new farm bill now before Congress
deserves widespread support in
| Montana where agriculture is the
basic industry. Money and credit
conditions are tight in rural
| America and no less so in the
| Treasurer State. 1t will take years
for agriculture to regain the in
| come lost in the period since the
early 1950'S.
For farm families the new n
abling legislation would offer an
opportunity for lifting a depressed
| income to more adequate levels;
such a development would assure
for the consumer continued ample
supplies of food and fibre at fair
prices; for the businessman it
would bring new purchasing
power into rural communities; for
labor it would bring hundreds of
thousands Of new jobs; and it
would lower the cost of farm pro-
grams.
The bill contains very little that
is new procedure; as a mater of
fact, the measure largely amends
and re-enactS much existing fed
eral farm law.
It re-enactS the popular wool
price support act, for a three-year
period this time. 1t re-enacts and
enlarges the agricultural trade
development and assistance act,
otherwise known as Public Law
48O. a measure of considerable in
tereSt to wheat growers among
other producers. 1t amends the
well-knOwn and largely self
sustaining Farmers Home Admi-
i"nistration to bring credit services
of the government mor nearly to
meet the credit needs of those
farmers and ranchers operating in
a highly mechanical agriculture
who are unable to obtain such
credit elsewhere.
The national agricultural ad-
viSory committee which is being
discussed was used by the Eisen-
hover = Benson Administration
without, however, the benefit OF
any elections as called for in the
new legislation.
The 1861 proposal gives farmers
more voice in the development Of
farm programs, and yet Congress
and the Administration will still
have their vital and historic roles
The price support provisions are
not new; the previous Administra-
ton used them but in a manner tC
depresS farm prices generally
while consumer prices went UP.
laying the seeds for the current
recession in many rural areas.
And l may add price supports
and government aids are not new
to much of the nOn-agricultural in
dustry in the nation because some
stable private enterprises farmers
l have to buy from have been bene.
4 fitting from federal aid for a Ions
\ time.
Under the terms of the Agricul.
tural Act of 1861 parity which L
a yardstick for price could go OF
higher than go percent for any
approved program, and 1 thinl
that is too low. Nothing less thar
100 percent of parity is fair.
I For most commodities, however
there would be no price supper
and supply adjustment program
even if this measure becomes law
unless the growers of a particula.
commodity desire such a program
There would be no program TO
livestock. for example, unleS
livestock producers want one.
Marketing orders, acreage a1lot
ments, purchase agreements an
similar devices provided for in tn
new bill are all in use now an
have been in varying degrees 70
years.
In numerous referendumS in re
cent years producers of whea
cotton, tobacco and corn anon
several commodities have repeat
edly voted for acreage and mar
keting controls that accompan
some measure of price protection
With the new legislation offerin
an opportunity to have a variet
of programs to meet the varyin
needs of 6iffprQpt commodities N