The Sidney herald., 1961-07-05
H. Wilson, MFBF
President, Takes
Blast At Farm Bill

The Freeman-Cochran OMNIBUS
Farm Bill is, in my opinion, the
worst thing that could happen to
Montana agriculture. 1T is a re-
hash of the Old Brannon Plan
with a lot of new gimmlckS and
powers bestowed to the Secretary
of Agriculture which even the or
iginal authors lacked the audacity
10 include, accohding to a news
release by Henry F. Hank, preSi-
DENT. Montana Farm Bureau Fed
eraion.
The similarity is appalling be-
tween the proposals in this bill
and the plans of Soviet Russia
aimed at breaking the great agr1-
cultural production of the U. S
and thereby weakening the in
dustrial might of our ~capitaliStlc
system; to the end that we WOULD
never realize when we passed from
capitalism to socialism tx
communism.
This plan gives enc man, THE
| Secretary of Agriculture, the pow
er to formulate and implement
production and marketing controL
on every agricultural commodity
produced in Montana. The secre-
tary could impose amy control In
terms of ores, production units, on
commodity units. He could hand
pick who in each county coulC
vcL.e on referendums and thereby
impose controls ON you and me
He could impose ''check-offS" or
money paid for your commoditie!
and Use this money for amy adver'
: tising scheme he desired. He coulC
impose penalties on producer
without even granting a hearing
to the producer. An individual
lucky enough to produce a crop
under this system could then bt
given an order as to whom hC
might sell, regardless of what TIL
commodity might be.
If a producer or a cCmmodit.
should be ~ disfaWor with The
Secretary, the allotment off bush.
els, or acres, or livestock = Thu
privilege TO produce" - NIGH
be transferred, at the Secretary
pleasure, to some other producer
The Secretary could put into eff
feet direct payments, incentive
payments, diversion payments, al
based on his specific authority
He could put limitations ON pric'
supports Ito amy n producer ami
require any conservation practice
based again ON his sole authority
The New Horizons Plan apparent
thy plans for you to give up al
your rights as am individual t
the Secretary of Agriculture, am,
mas the additional effrontry +
try to bypass regular Legislative
procedure and leave Congress onl
the power to veto.
The results of such a plan Woul
be to invest so much power j
one person = the Secretary c
| Agriculture - as to make tn
Lord seem a piker.
1t had better become the busi
ness of every Montanan to wor
to stop this abuse of power.
we permit a thing Like this I
happen in Montana where agrI
culture is the leading industry, am
where every citizen is affecte
directly or indirectly by agricu.
tural production; then we are M
worthy of our heritage. Many a
individual in the other two far
organizations must be Wonderdr
what will happen to his farm (
his ranch. The mere fact that tf
leaders say don't worry about it
and that "we own the elevators
and 'fthe Secretary is a friend
will hardly be assurance enous
- not when already the talk
circulating that what we need
the United States is a ''good lal
reform program!
I Farmers, ranchers, business ms
and housewives should write the
senators and congressman al
protest House Resolution 6400, i
Omnibus Farm Bill. Senat
4 Mansfield has the. opportunity
do the people of his state a gre
service. AS Majority Leader of t
4 Senate, he could pay a visit
President Kennedy, explain t
u disastrous results the bill woJ
81 have On am agricultural state su
M aS Montana and 1170e that 4