The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1961-10-06
from page ]

aDuHudHC prOuucIlOn OF American
farms is at the core of this whole
discussion This" he continued
sis a small problem compared with
too little production. We have hungry
people here, but that is social rather
than a production problem"
Speaking of making Americas
abundance available to less fortunate
sections of the world, he said Gin the
middle of the Goth Century we can
afford to have social conscience
in fact, we can't afford not to
have onev'
Particularizing on the 1861 act,
he pointed out that the American
Farm Bureau was the only major
farm organization which opposed
some of it's major features. Support
came, in addition to Farmers Union,
from the National Grange. National
Farmer Organization, National
Wheat Growers, among others. The
act, he said, represents compromise
which was generally supported" by
the latter groups. Much of the 1861
act is not new, but Incorporated farm
measures adopted "over the past 40
years"
The controversy, he said, is
around the new machinery set up
in the act to "afford farmers the
opportunity to achieve parity by
providing them bargaining power"
with other major segments of the
economy.
The intent of the act, he stated, "is
to attack the problem of supply and
demand at both ends"-better prices
for farmers, and assurance to the con-
sumner of an adequate supply of food
stuffs, while at the same time reduc-
ing surpluses to manageable levels.
New machinery provided under the
act calls for attacking the problem
on a ty-by-commodity ap-
proach, with advisory committees be-
ing set up to assist the Secretary of |
Agriculture in preparing factual in
formation for the Congress, in esti-
mating production goals each year
for various major commodities.
Important to the new acts success
is mandatory 10 per cent acreage
reduction for all commodities under
price-loan support, with farmers be-
ing reimbursed with As per cent pay
ment in cash or kind on the additional
acres not planted. This reduction
would cut acreage under the support
program from So million to 50.5 mil
lion in 1862. In addition, farmers
may take a further 80 per cent acre
age cut back, or up to total of
10 acres, whichever is greater, with
payments in cash or kind amounting
to so per cent of average return of
such acres when under production.
Under the same Subtitle A, penalties
Townsend said that his organi-
cation is aware of the technnologi-
cal evolution in agriculture, and
contends the only way of preserv-
ing the family-sized farm lies in
combination of federal price sup
ports and controlled production.
MOVE TOWARD
ELIMINATION
Montana Farm Bureau executive Y
ecretary Williams said his organiza- a
ion has as goal the moving toward a
of government controls" t
# agriculture. Farm Bureau, he said, S
wants farmers and ranchers "to earn d
high net income, not just high d
ncome". They want high level of s.
and generally stable u
rice level, along with defective" d
but, that 1--WE think the
arm bill of 1861 sets government a,
n monopo1istic position. Williams !,
price supports should be n
sed to facilitate marketing, and not .
D fix prices. "'Price support levels" v
e said, "should be left to competi-
i've conditions rather than to the
ecretary of Agriculture.
''We Think he continued, "you a.
Mould encourage government to get 81
ut of the agriculture business s. g
lat individual commodity pro- Il
rams should be set up in harmony p'
18th other commodities, livestock tf
.eding. etc. "We must have an g