RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE AFTER MIDNIGHT 

 "By 3 a. m. they were ready io report" 



TWO "BOBS IN AN EARLY MORNING 

 TETE-A-TETE 

 Treasurer Robert A. Cowles and Director 

 Robert B. EndicoH. 



CORPORATE SECRETARY PAUL E. 



MATHIAS AND DIRECTOR RAY IHRIG 



'A strip-mining resolution was born. 



RESOLUTIONS 



AJufted M J'J);./ Aiiiiit.il Cminnr/'/n oj lllimih 



Agricullur,il A'<')c/.ition, Chicjgo. fan 2S-29. 



19.^'' 



I 



We plfd,i;t (air continucil aiut .igj;rcssive 

 suppoit to the AriKricin F.iini Biiri-.ui FeJcra- 

 tmn in all effiirt> to stciirc llic cii.ictment of 

 ilie new laws or amciulmcnt of tlic pri.Mtit 

 laws or effective change in regulations of such 

 laws to put into etTect tlie resolution adopted 

 it the recent annual nicetinp of our National 

 I'edcration under the headinc "The National 

 Atritultural Poluy. ' as follows: 



The fundamental objective of the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation since its organiza- 

 tion has been to secure and maintain for the 

 farmers of the nation a fair and ei|uitablc por- 

 tion of the national income. The Federation 

 continuously has dedicated its maior efforts 

 to the study of current prttblems which con- 

 fronted farmers in efforts to obtain this ob- 

 lectivc. thanging conditions caused the Fed- 

 eration to develop and support various meas- 

 ures, but always uppermost in mind has been 

 ilie fundamental objective of the organization. 



The Federation has always considered the 

 tarm problem as national in character, and has 

 maintained that to insure stable farm prices 

 •It equitable levels it is necessary to balance 

 production of commodities with the market 

 lemand. 



During the postwar period which found 

 .American agriculture with a greatly over-ex- 

 panded production plant, the Federation sup- 

 ported measuies tliat aimed at segregation of 

 sui pluses over and above domestic market 

 requirements sn .is to maintain domestic price 

 levels conimensur.ite \\ ith American staiulards 

 "f w.iges and living; and the disposition of 

 surpluses m world markets at world price 

 levels. 



The defeat i^f these efforts resulted iii the 

 most acute oversupply of farm products and the 

 lowest price le\els for f.irm products in the 

 historj- of the nation. Changing world con- 

 ditions, particularly the large debts of foreign 

 nations to the I'nited .States, increased trade 

 barriers, intei national misunderstamlings and 

 intrigues, foictd the I'ederation to continue 



Its efforts to develop and st-cure the passage of 

 legislation provulmg governmental assistance 

 ti> cooperating farmers in balancing the supply 

 of products with the total demand of markets 

 at fair price levels. The results of this legisla- 

 tion are a matter nf record and call for no 

 apology by the Americ.tn F.irm l^uie.iu Federa- 

 tion. 



The decision of the Supreme Court on the 

 constitutionality of tins legislation made it 

 necessary to alter in essential detail certain 

 policies of administiatiiin of the Agricultural 

 Adjustment Act, and to secure the passage of 

 the Soil Const-r\.itn>n .md Domestic Allotment 

 Act. but It did not alter in any way the chiet 

 obiective of the Anieiican Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion. 



VX'e reaffirm the Federation's continued sup- 

 port of this obiective and pledge its every 

 effort to develop and secure enactment of 

 such amendments to existing law. or the en- 

 actment of .idditional measures as may be 

 found necessary to maintain pi ice levels ot 

 farm products in line with the American 

 standard of wages and American standards 

 of living, and to assure to the farmers of 

 America their rightful share of the national 

 income. 



Such a national farm polity must provide 

 for restoring and niaint. lining a high degree 

 of soil fertility; a schedule of .igricultural 

 tariffs to fully protect the domestic market 

 from conipetin.g imports that hold or force 

 American prices beU>\v pariu" levels; rctluction 

 of excessise UKlustri.il tariffs to equ.il:/e the 

 price levels of industrial and agricultui.il com 

 modifies; a,i;gressive effoits to develop m-w 

 domestic .uid forei.mi outlets and maikuts ti'i 

 American-grown farm products with tlu c<'n- 

 tinned use of a substantial amount ot inipnit 

 revenue; state and federal m.irketing aiiree- 

 ments .ind orders to i-nable produceis with 

 distributors or consumers to stabilize the prue 

 level of am agricultural commoditv ; .md the 

 holding of current annual I'r st.ison.il sur- 

 pluses of farm products from market channels 

 in the most economical way under a system of 

 Federal loans baseil upon w.iiehousu or trust 

 receipts, thus protecting pioducers from the 

 otherwise price-depressing t-ttcct ^^i surpluses. 



while at the same time insuring the consuming 

 public ot an ample supply of farm punlucts 

 at all times and protecting the nation from 

 the dangCis of drouth, inseits. disease or other 

 disasteis. 



Recognizing buth the oppoitunitus and 

 limit. ilions of thesf factois, to be effective 

 this faim policy must have adequate provision 

 to insure such a balance of supply of farm 

 prodmts Willi demand as is necessary tii as- 

 sure tarnurs of parity prices tor their prod- 

 ucts. 



II 



\X e urge appiopriate amendment ot the S. mI 

 (onscrvation and Domc-stic Allotment Act so 

 tli.it ihf atlministr.itioii of the .ict by the scv- 

 ei.il states will be del.iyed until July !. 1"'(0. 

 in or.lir that sufficient cxpeiience may be had 

 under federal le.gislation to point more clearlv 

 to the essential factois that should be imUided 

 in necessary state legislation. 



Ill 



We recognize the serious etfcct of the 

 steady increase in farm tenancy of both state 

 and nation, and that federal assistance is desir- 

 able in many sections of the I'nited States 

 for the lelief of this situation We emphat- 

 ically assert that, in large part, the problem 

 will be ultimately solved b\' restorim; farm 

 commodity puce levels to a fair and peim.inent 

 basis 



We do not believe f.iim ten.incA' cin be 

 corrected solely through liberalization of credit 

 or supervision by experts of tenant farmers 

 vVho may purchase- farms. Any Ia« s enacte.l 

 to rclie\e the incie-asing ienane>' situation 

 should be based onlv upon a system of smind 

 credit cxteiidc\l over a long perHnl of ve.irs 

 .ind administered by the F.um Crciht '.Admin- 

 istration and the Scctctarv of A..;ricultuie 

 thioiigh the Diiector of iNtcnsion in each 

 State, undei vvhose- direction the m.inagemcnt 

 :n counties i»r legioiis should be administe-ie.i 

 by young men qualified t^r appointment .;s 

 ct'unty .igents in c.ich st.ite-. 



1 iigibility <'t elficieni tenants or other 

 w.Mthy young nun v\i;!i f.irm evpcrierice should 

 be" determiiied by .in independent local eotii 

 '('■^:!,->i!iiJ lit! p.ige -Vi/ 



FEBRUARY, 1937 



25 



