The Sidney herald., 1963-08-07
Schumun Asks for
New Program

qovernment-owned surplus
stocks of wheat & feed grains
not be sold al less than
lis percent of prevailing
support levels, plus reas-
enable carrying charges.
"Our program would enable
each farmer to decide for him
self which grains he should
grow, how much of each he
can best produce, and whether
he would be better off to place
a part or all of his farm under
"a cropland retirement con-
tract" the Farm Bureau presi-
dent said.
Support prices set in this
manner would not impede the
workings of the market; would
not be an incentive to increase
production; and yet, would
provide real protection against
any substantial drop in wheat
and feed grain prices"
"We do not claim that our
proposals for wheat and feed
grains would not cost a sub
stantial sum of money for a
short time" Mr.. Shuman said.
THE big difference be-
tween our program and
proposals such as the pres
emf feed grain program
and the 1864 version of
the wheat certificate plan
is that our program would
lead to a solution of the
wheat & feed grain prob
lens that is practical
workable and acceptable
to farmers" And he added:
Gwen ON short-run basis
we believe our program would
cost much less than programs
it is designed to replace. The
1868 feed grain program is
costing about 5000 million. The
1864 program is likely to be
equally expensive if no new
legislation is enacted. If the
certificate plan had been ap-
proved, certificates would have
been issued for ATS million
bushels of export wheat. AT
70 cents per bUShel this would
have meant a Treasury cost
of $332.5 million. Another
$3.50 million would have been
spent for wheat land diversion
payments. Thus, the certificate
plan as proposed for 1864 ano
a continuation of the present
feed grain program would have
cost about Sis billion annual.
| ly Just for wheat and feec
grains. We have not included
in this calculation the substan
tial cost to consumers of thu
wheat certificates ON the do
mestically consumed portion o
the crop.
'sWith the. level of support
we are proposing under ou
program, both the need fol
and the cost of, retiring lam
would be greatly reduced. Ful
thermore, our approach Woul
achieve needed shifts in Ian
use instead of perpetuatin
our excess capacity problem
which is what happens whe
parts of farms are retired c
a year-to-year basis"
Mr.. Shuman said ''price sun
ports set at higher levels
proposed i'm other bills no
before this Comrnittee-wou
stimulate production and NAL
impossible the elimination
controls on Individual farms
"These proposals for high
levels of price support wou
grant to the Secretary of A
riculture discretionary authC
ity to increase the level to
percent of parity. We coU
not defend the high cost
taxpayers of such propos
programs, nor do we believe
wise to grant such discretic
ary authority to any Secreta
of Agriculture"
I'VE believe the genera
public will support a rea
sonable expenditure TO.
government farm program
provided we can demon
strate that these program
will solve existing prob
lens instead of making
them worse" the Farm
Bureau president conclud
ed.
"The program we have
commended would serve v
the interests of both produC
- and conSuners-sinlce it
-~..4..o,,o<I ;r,ooorOxros1oe (