Farmers on the AAA 



This writer went down the road asking 

 questions of farmers. Among them were 

 •What do you think of the AAA? "—"Do 

 you think it has raised prices?" — "Suppose 

 the AAA is killed by the Supreme Court, 

 what then?" — "What should farmers do to 

 retain the AAA?" — "Do you consider crop 

 adjustment a good thing?" Here are some 

 of the answers in all their frankness. 



An Edgar county farmer, not a Farm Bu- 

 reau member, on a 160 acre stock and grain 

 farm said. "The AAA is all right. I'm 

 afraid there is some politics in it though. 

 It probably raised prices but with the help 

 of chinch bugs and the drouth. Crop re- 

 duction is a good thing if everyone would 

 do it. But they won't." Another farmer in 

 EMgar county, a Farm Bureau member on 

 160 acres said. "The principle of the AAA is 

 fine. It has done wonders. However it needs 

 simplifying. Also all farmers should re- 

 duce — not just part of them. The AAA has 

 raised prices. If it is killed, we will prob- 

 ably go back to the old way of doing things. 

 The Farm Bureau can help to keep it by 

 expanding its membership. I believe in 

 crop reduction. I made more money raising 

 160 hogs this year than I did raising 300 the 

 years before." 



Still another member in the same county, 

 operating a 455 acre farm said. "The AAA 

 can be criticized but generally it is okeh. 

 I think it is ruled too strongly from Wash- 

 ington. AAA ignores county allotment 

 committees recommendations too much. That 

 works a hardship on individual farmers. 

 AAA will kill itself if it doesn't have a 

 more flexible basis of operation. It has 

 raised prices I know. The only way to 

 save the AAA is through a bigger, more 

 thoroughly organized group of farmers. Crop 

 adjustment is a good thing. If it is good 

 for industry, it is good for farmers, too." 



In Iroquois county a non-member operat- 

 ing a 160 acre stock and grain farm said that 

 he "does not believe in the principle of the 

 AAA although it is working out all right. 

 It has raised prices. But what's worrying 

 me is that if the Supreme Court kills the 

 AAA I may have to give back the benefit 

 payments. Generally speaking though. I 

 don't believe in the principle of crop reduc- 

 tion. What's the use of reducing when im- 

 ports are coming in? What's the use of 

 reducing when some farmers take the gov- 

 ernment money, buy fertilizer and raise 

 more than before on less land?" 



In Iroquois county, a Farm Bureau mem- 

 ber operating a 160 acre stock and grain farm 

 said. "I think the AAA is fine. It has raised 

 prices. If it is killed by the Supreme Court 

 there will have to be a substitute set up. 

 I've been farming all my life and it's only 

 since the AAA that anyone has ever figured 

 I needed assistance like regular business 

 does. The processors are after the AAA. But 

 1 don't think they can kill it. What I'm afraid 

 of its politics getting into the AAA." 



Another Iroquois county Farm Bureau 

 member operating a 240 acre dairy, grain 

 and hog farm said. "The AAA is fine — a life 

 saver for the farmer. It raised prices. If 

 it is killed there will have to be some sim- 

 ilar legislation proposed immediately or 

 farmers are sunk. Farmers should get to- 

 gether under one banner to save the AAA. 

 I consider crop adjustment a good thing." 



In Macon county, a non-member with a 

 172 acre stock and grain farm said. "The 

 AAA is all right. It's pretty complicated 

 though. I think it has raised prices. If it 



is killed, farmers will have to get some 

 other law to protect the farmer's price. 

 Farmers should put pressure on their con- 

 gressmen to save the AAA. I reduced ihis 

 year and I believe in the principle of the 

 AAA. It's the first time farmers have ever 

 had treatment like industry has had from 

 the government." 



Another Macon county Farm Bureau 

 member with a 280 acre stock and grain 

 farm said. "The AAA seems to be all right. 

 It raised prices through reduction. If it 

 is killed farmers will have to start all over 

 again to get some other act. Right now. I 

 think farmers should try to get passed some 

 act that is simpler and easier to work than 

 the AAA." 



In Coles county a non-member on a 269 

 acre stock and grain farm said. "In prin- 

 ciple, the AAA is all right. But certain 

 parts of the plan don't work so well for me. 

 I have to buy corn to feed. But. I think 

 the AAA has raised prices. While reduc- 

 tion didn't work out so well for me. I went 

 along. I'm not kicking. There have been 

 mistakes made, but all in all. the AAA has 

 helped the farmers." 



Another Coles county non-member with 

 a farm of 40 acres said. "The AAA is all 

 right for larger farmers than I am. The 

 principle is all right. It raised prices. If 

 the AAA is killed there will have to be 

 some similar legislation. The Farm Bureau 

 is and will be the best way to combat ef- 

 forts to kill the AAA." Another Coles 

 county non-member with 4 stock and grain 

 farms totaling 567 acres said. "In some re- 

 spects the AAA is okeh. In others not. 

 I do not think it has raised prices. I didn't 

 reduce on this particular farm be-ause I 

 have just taken it over and have to establish 

 a hog base. If the AAA is killed I would 

 like to see crop control of this sort — let the 

 corn-hog belt raise these crops unrestricted 

 but reduce or not raise wheat. Let the 

 wheat country raise its crop but stay out 

 of corn and hogs. Let those crops grow im- 

 restricted where they grow best." 



In Moultrie county a Farm Bureau mem- 

 ber with a 380 acre stock and grain farm 

 said. "Some of the AAA is all right. It raised 

 prices along with the help of the chinch 

 bugs and the drouth. If the AAA is killed, 

 the Farm Bureau will have to work out a 

 crop control plan for farmers without gov- 

 ernment help. The Farm Bureau should 

 continue to do all the lobbying possible to 

 continue the AAA. I believe in the prin- 

 ciple of crop reduction but I feel that it is 

 favoring one class of people at the expense 

 of another." 



Another Moultrie county Farm Bureau 

 member with three stock and grain farms 

 totaling 352 acres said. "I don't like the 

 AAA very much. I think it raised prices 

 along with the drouth and chinch bugs. If 

 the AAA is killed I think some other sort 

 of legislation will have to be worked out 

 for the benefit of farmers. On the other 

 hand. I don't think farmers should do much 

 to retain the AAA. The reason I don't be- 

 lieve in crop reduction is because I object 

 to being told to do something by someone 

 who doesn't know my particular problems. 

 The only reason I believe in the AAA at 

 all is because the Farm Bureau does and I 

 belong to the Farm Bureau." 



In Kankakee county a farmers imion 

 member with a stock and grain layout of 

 400 acres said. "I don't like the AAA. It's 

 all graft and politics. It didn't raise prices. 



Wifh Our Coun+y 



Farm Bureau Presidents 



A. A. KHAUSZ 



Since 1919 when he became a charter 

 member of the Clinton County Farm 

 Bureau. Arthur A. Krausz has been 

 doing more than his share in helping 

 along almost every worthwhile ac- 

 tivity in his community and county. 

 He became interested in the Farm 

 Bureau, first, because he wanted to 

 do a better job of farming and the 

 Farm Bureau meant to him oppor- 

 tunity to im- 

 prove the effi- 

 ciency and pro- 

 duction of his 

 200-acre grain 

 and livestock 

 farm. He was 

 an early con- 

 vert to the lime- 

 stone and leg- 

 u m e program 

 and he started 

 raising pure 

 bred hogs and 

 cattle because 

 he was too in- 

 t e 1 1 i g e n t to 

 waste time and feed with scrubs. 



Mr. Krausz. along with many other 

 thrifty Clinton county members, be- 

 lieves in keeping records, in knowing 

 at all times just where his business 

 is headed. His courses in bookkeeping 

 and accounting in business college, 

 and later at McKendree College where 

 he studied agriculture he has used to 

 good advantage in farming and in ad- 

 ministering the affairs of the Clinton 

 County Farm Bureau of which he has 

 been president during the past four 

 years. 



In his own community at New 

 Memphis. Krausz is president of the 

 public school board, and secretary of 

 the Lutheran church board. He is 

 also treasurer of the County Wheat 

 Production Control Association and is 

 a member of the board of the St. 

 Clair Service Company. 



Arthur Krausz is one of the young- 

 er Farm Bureau presidents. He was 

 born December 8. 1894. He and Mrs. 

 Krausz have a son 15 and a daughter 

 6. Under his leadership and that of 

 the board of directors Clinton County 

 Farm Bureau has been maintained as 

 one of the stronger county organiza- 

 tions in southern Illinois. Its finances 

 are in excellent* condition and mem- 

 bership is increasing. 



The speculators did after the farmer sold 

 his grain. If the AAA is killed it will be 

 all right with me. Farmers should do noth- 

 ing to retain it. Reduction is no good when 

 they are importing from other countries. 

 We can't make expenses farming. We'll 

 have to quit and go on relief. " 



Another Kankakee county farmers union 

 member on 120 acres said. "The AAA is 

 okeh but it is not being handled fairly. It 

 raised prices but I think the drouth and 

 bugs did too. Reduction is good when you 

 get a square deal.; We didn't reduce this 

 year because we didn't get a square deal 

 on our hog base last year. Our base was 

 66 last year. We were cut to 35 when our 

 receipts showed 66, Couldn't get any satis- 

 faction or reason for it so we didn't go 

 along this year." 



•I 



18 



I. A. A. RECORD 



