PROCEEDINGS CORN BELT MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSN. 599 



that food products as delivered to the markets by the farmers have fallen 

 in prices to near the pre-war level and some important items are far lower. 



Farmers in the corn belt want to know why ham is sold at retail through- 

 out the country at about six times the price per pound of live hogs in Chi- 

 cago, when the normal ratio is about one to three and a half. They be- 

 lieve that a reduction of retail prices of ham and some other food prod- 

 ucts, to properly correspond with the reductions of prices received by 

 farmers, would do much to stimulate consumption and reduce the surplus 

 stocks and restore normal conditions. 



Agriculture is not alone in being depressed. Almost every kind of in- 

 dustry in the corn belt is affected. When farmers can not buy, all others 

 suffer, and this is well illustrated in Iowa at the present time. The feel- 

 ing of the farmers and many others is shown by their attitude toward 

 county taxes. In many counties the farmers and others are asking the 

 supervisors to make radical cuts in salaries, to spend less on schools and 

 roads. They say these are fine, but if the people have less money, they 

 must cut down expenses. 



Steps should be taken immediately to assist farmers who are under 

 obligations to make payments during the next few months. Unless relief 

 is afforded, many will be ruined. It should not be possible to take the 

 farms and homes from honest, industrious, thrifty farmers who are prac- 

 tically sure to pay their way out if given a little more time. Nor is this 

 desirable from any point of view. We must find a way to help these men. 

 Some banks are doing all they can. Communities having such banks are 

 to be congratulated, and these banks deserve commendation. Federal 

 funds now are finding their way to the rural districts, but for some reason 

 their benefits are not reaching large numbers who need such help. 



We cannot study the present situation without realizing the need of 

 farmers for longer time loans than have prevailed in the past. The farm- 

 er's turnover is slow as compared with manufacturing and business, and 

 a financial system adapted to the latter does not fit the farmer's situation. 

 Just now farmers would be benefited by the storage of a large quantity of 

 corn. It should be stored on the farms where most of it will be used. 

 In each of the last two years the corn crop has been about 300,000,000 

 bushels in excess of normal. Due to the stress of war the corn acreage 

 was greatly increased. Several millions of acres of corn land should be 

 planted to clover and alfalfa, and this would be done if some of the pres- 

 ent corn surplus is stored for use next year. The land needs the legumin- 

 ous crops and in the long run will produce more and better food crops if 

 allowed to recuperate in this manner. Thus, in the long run, the public 

 would profit if the farmers could finance reasonable storage operations. 

 Corn belt farmers know that agricultural products make a large part of 

 our exports annually, and that during the past year food products exported 

 have shown a great increase. Our Secretary of Agriculture wisely has 

 undertaken to get information in the foreign markets that will enable us 

 to hold these markets as far as desirable. Such a study means much for 

 American farmers, and Secretary Wallace should be commended for get- 

 ting it under way so promptly, and he should be given every encourage- 

 ment by appropriations or otherwise to extend the work as far as he 



