are larg'e exporting countries. 



"China and Brazil export small amounts 

 of cotton, but never until 1934 did either 

 export as much as 500,000 bales, when 

 Brazil exported 584,000 bales. 



On the previous page is a table giving 

 the acreage and production of these five 

 large producing foreign countries, the 

 acreage and production of the United 

 States, of all foreign countries and of 

 the world. 



"It will also be noted that of the for- 

 eign exporting countries, that produce 

 and export over 500,000 bales of cotton, 

 India, Egypt and Brazil, the largest, In- 

 dia, decreased both her acreage and pro- 

 duction in 1933 and 1934, below her 

 average acreage and production for the 

 previous ten years. 



"The second largest exporting coun- 

 try, Egypt, had practically the same 

 acreage in 1933 and 1934 as her average 

 for the previous 10 years, but her pro- 

 duction in 1933 and 1934 was higher 

 than her 10-year average, although it 

 did not exceed in 1934 her maximum 

 production of 1929. 



"The other one of the three larger 

 cotton exporting countries, Brazil, the 

 smallest of the five largest foreign pro- 

 ducers, increased her production in 1933 

 by 176,000 bales over her previous maxi- 

 mum in 1924, and in 1934 the latest 

 available estimates show an increase of 

 363,000 bales over her 1933 crop. 



"Clearly, therefore, foreign countries 

 have increased their production since the 

 cotton production adjustment program 

 has been in operation in the United 

 States, but in the light of past fluctua- 

 tions and the gradual increase during 

 the last quarter of a century the in- 

 creases in 1933 and 1934 should not be 

 alarming to United States cotton grow- 

 ers." 



These facts are presented because 

 they are not familiar to Illinois farmers. 

 They refute in large part the anti-AAA 

 propaganda of metropolitan dailies which 

 reflect largely the attitude of specula- 

 tive interests, processors, handlers and 

 distributors of farm products. The facts 

 disclose to what extent information about 

 the domestic and foreign cotton situation 

 has been distorted. 



A study of the tables reveals to what 

 extent the political press will twist facts 

 to give uninformed people a wrong im- 

 pression of the AAA and its influence in 

 improving agricultural and industrial 

 conditions in this country. 



In Illinois farmers are better informed 

 on the facts about corn and hogs, wheat, 

 cattle and domestic and foreign markets 

 for these products. At the referendum 

 meetings held during recent weeks far- 

 mers learned, for example, that they lost 

 the equivalent of eight million bead of 



hogs in foreign sales since the World 

 War. 



They learned that during the first nine 

 months of the present marketing year 

 foreign countries took 27 per cent less 

 pork from the United States than dur- 

 ing the corresponding period of 1934. 



Farmers learned that within two or 

 three years without a production control 

 program, corn and hog prices can easily 

 be forced downward toward the ruinous 

 levels of 1932 and 1933. 



Without a program farmers can look 

 forward to big corn supplies and low 

 corn prices in 1936. High prices for 

 hogs and low corn prices would encour- 

 age heavy increases in hog supplies. The 

 slump in hog prices would hit farmers 

 hard by late 1937 and harder still in 

 1938. 



Without a program and with normal 

 weather in the marketing year beginning 

 in November, 1937, farmers could easily 

 have 48,000,000 to 50,000,000 hogs to 

 slaughter under federal inspection. This 

 estimate is based on careful analysis by 

 government economists based on past 

 experience. And such analyses are pref- 

 erable as guides to the objections of 

 handlers who are interested in heavy re- 

 ceipts and commissions, and the criti- 

 cisms of politicians with nothing con- 

 structive to offer in place of crop ad- 

 justment. 



Production of 48,000,000 to 50,000,000 

 hogs for slaughter is considerably more 

 than is needed both for domestic con- 

 sumers and our present export trade. 

 Illinois farmers need not be told what 

 happened to the price in 1932 when there 

 was heavy surplus production. At the 

 bottom of the depression hogs averaged 

 on the farm $3.36 in 1932-'33. This meant 

 that the farmer got on the average ex- 

 actly 16.72 for a 200 pound hog. 



A restoration of such prices would not 

 be an unmixed blessing to the consumer. 

 For a while pork chops would be on the 

 bargain counter. But farmers would soon 

 be out of the buying market again. Pro- 

 duction of automobiles, farm machinery, 

 tractors, lumber, paint, cement, house- 

 hold goods and the hundreds of other 

 things farmers buy when 'they have 

 money would slow up. Advertising and 

 sales pressure wouldn't do much good. 

 Factories now running at least part time 

 would close. And bread lines would be 

 longer than ever. 



Finding production of pork unprofit- 

 able, farmers would reduce their herds 

 just as they did with and without the 

 help of the AAA in 1932, 1933, 1934. 

 Within a year or two fewer hogs would 

 come to market, prices would go higher 

 and consumers would soon be complain- 

 ing again about the high cost of meat. 



A substantial part of present higher 

 (Continued on page 24) 



With Our County 

 Farm Bureau Presidents 



A solid, conservative man is Fred H. 

 Smith, president of the Warren Coun- 

 ty Farm Bureau since 1930. 



Born in 1879 on the farm near Kirk- 

 wood where he now resides, Mr. Smith 

 is known and respected as a good far- 

 mer and a good citizen. He was one 

 of the first to join the Warren County 

 Farm Bureau 

 following its or- 

 ganization. H e 

 was elected to 

 the Board of Di- 

 rectors in 1922. 

 so he has seen 

 13 years of con- 

 tinuous service 

 for his county 

 organization. 



The Smith 



farm of 240 acres 



is gently rolling 



land where corn. 



FBET H. SMITH ^^^^^^ gnd hogs 



are the major 

 crops. He raises dual purpose Short- 

 horn cattle and ordinarily markets 

 125 to 150 Duroc Jersey shoats each 

 year. This number has been reduced 

 somewhat under the com-hog adjust- 

 ment program during the past two 

 years. 



Mr. Smith is a co-operator. He be- 

 lieves in organization. And through- 

 out his life he has backed up that be- 

 lief by supporting every worthwhile 

 activity and co-operative organization 

 in his community and county. He is 

 a member of the board of the County 

 Mutual Fire Insurance Company. 

 When the Warren County Corn-Hog 

 Control Association was organized he 

 became its Treasurer. 



"We must keep the principles of the 

 AAA in force," he says, "revising it 

 to fit new conditions and to correct 

 past mistakes. Farm organization is 

 accomplishing finally what it has 

 worked for during the past? 12 to 15 

 years. If fanners will stay organized 

 and keep production in adjustment 

 with market demands, the outlook for 

 agriculture is indeed bright." 



Mr. Smith attended the country 

 school located on one corner of the 

 farm, and later the Kirkwood high 

 school and Monmouth business col- 

 lege. He has been a member and 

 worker in his local church since 1906, 

 and has served as Sunday school su- 

 perintendent and trustee. 



Mr. and Mrs. Smith have two chil- 

 dren. George, who has taken over 

 much of the responsibility on the 

 farm, and a daughter, Mary Alice. 



F 



Fi: 

 ch 

 Fa 

 pa 

 an 

 an 

 thi 



Yc 



a 



Fa 



Re 



to 



The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation re- 

 cently boiAht a controlling interest in 

 The Life Insurance Company of America 

 organized in Columbus in 1931. The 

 Company is reported to have around a 

 million and a half dollars in assets and 

 115,000,000 of business in force in 30 

 states. It has paid more than $1,000,000 

 in claims since established. 



18 



I 



I. A. A. RECORD 



