Farm Leaders Agree 



on Agricultural Program 



yf^ order that problems of agri- 



l/l culture might be considered and 

 \^ recommendations made to Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace, 

 more than 50 farm leaders, represent- 

 ing all the leading farm organizations, 

 met at his invitation in Washington, 

 February 8-9. 



Delegates got right to work follow- 

 ing a talk by Secretary Wallace and 

 studied proposals offered by the groups 

 represented. The Farm Bureau, the 

 Grange and the Farmers Union were 

 all represented, and through the Na- 

 tional Cooperative Council, the leading 

 and most powerful co-operative mar- 

 keting groups in the country spoke for 

 the commodity interest. Earl C. Smith 

 and Donald Kirkpatrick represented 

 the lAA. 



The final report of the conference 

 drafted by a committee of 18 and unan- 

 imously adopted, is as follows: 



(a) The farmers of this country in- 

 sist they receive their fair share of the 

 national income. 



(b) That much of the Federal leg- 

 islation pertaining to production which 

 has been adopted by the Congress dur- 

 ing the past few years has been ap- 

 proached from the emergency point of 

 view; and that the time has come to 

 present to the Congress an outline for 

 revision of existing provisions of law 

 and the adoption of new legislation 

 which will constitute the basis for a 

 long-time national agricultural pro- 

 gram. 



(c) That in the consideration of 

 such a program the public welfare must 

 be considered. 



(d) That the normal requirements 

 of all the people for food, feed and 

 fiber must be provided and in addition 

 thereto adequate reserves maintained 

 against the hazards of weather, 

 drought, flood, pests, and diseases, and 

 against the dangers of international 

 crises. 



(e) That the national interest justi- 

 fies a sound Federal program in the 

 control of the erosional processes: 

 without which control the land re- 

 sources of the country would be wasted. 



(f) That in the program of the con- 

 servation of the nation's natural re- 

 sources there is justification for the 

 bringing back into the public domain 

 a substantial portion of the sub-mar- 

 ginal lands of the country. 



(g) That in the program of conser- 

 vation the soil fertility of the farm- 

 lands of the country must be main- 

 tained and increased. 



(h) That the program must include 

 an eflFective plan for the adjustment 

 of production in line with effective 

 demand. 



(i) That the program must also in- 

 clude, through the use of an ever- 

 normal granary, governmental assist- 

 ance in controlling movement to mar- 

 ket of crop supplies after same have 

 been produced, in order to stabilize 

 commodity prices at such levels as will 

 insure a parity income to farmers and 

 also a parity price to the producers 

 of such crops. 



(j) That it is to the public interest 

 and to agriculture's to provide a plan 

 of insurance to producers against the 

 hazards of drought, floods, and other 

 disasters. 



(k) That widespread ownership of 

 farm land by the operators thereof is 

 a matter of public interest, and that 

 a program should include an adequate 

 and sound plan offering tenants better 

 opportunity to buy farms. 



(1) Your Committee desires to re- 

 affirm and re-emphasize this premise, 

 namely : 



That the buying power of farmers 

 resulting from parity income and parity 

 prices is of primary importance to our 

 national prosperity and security. 



Your Committee presents for your 

 consideration the following recommen- 

 dations affecting the principles which 

 should underlie legislation which 

 should be submitted to the Congress 

 during its present session: 



1. The ever-normal granary program 

 as outlined by the Secretary at the 

 opening of this conference for the 

 protection of the consuming public and 

 for providing producers with a reser- 

 voir in which can be retained seasonal 

 surpluses, meets with the most enthus- 

 iastic support and approval of your 

 Committee. Legislation is recom- 

 mended by your Committee providing 

 for the use of commodity credit loans 

 as the operating device necessary for 

 the successful and effective operation 

 of the ever-normal granary. 



In determining the price bases upon 

 which loans will be made in connection 

 with the Ever-Normal Granary, it must 

 be recognized that accumulating sur- 



pluses depress price and create a ceil- 

 ing above which prices of commodities 

 cannot rise. Therefore it is imperative 

 that the loans be made at the uppermost 

 level to keep prices from declining 

 below parity levels, to the full extent 

 possible consistent with the dependence 

 of the commodity upon export markets. 



2. That the formulation and admin- 

 istration of the ever-normal granary 

 program be carried on through per- 

 manently established governmental 

 agencies or corporations rather than 

 through any federal agencies now ex- 

 isting which are of a temporary and 

 emergency character. 



3. That the Soil Conservation and 

 Domestic Allotment Act be amended 

 providing for the postponement to Jan- 

 uary 1, 1940, as the date when admin- 

 istration and consent shall be had by 

 the States. 



4. In the administration of the Soil 

 Conservation and Domestic Allotment 

 Act during the interim period of fed- 

 eral administration and thereafter, to 

 avoid ultimate bureaucratic and poUt- 

 ical influence, local agencies and assoc- 

 iations of farmers must be considered 

 as the necessary and proper agencies 

 to carry out the coordinated program. 



5. That the Soil Conservation and 

 Domestic Allotment Act be amended 

 so that during the period of time in 

 which the administration of such Act 

 within the State is carried on and 

 directed by the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, that the Secretary of Agriculture 

 have the specific authority and direc- 

 tion to consider the declared policy of 

 the Congress as set forth in Section 7 

 (a), subnumber 5, which declared pol- 

 icy of the Congress is as follows: 



"(5) reestablishment, at as rapid 

 a rate as the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture determines to be practicable 

 and in the general public interest, 

 of the ratio between the purchas- 

 ing power of the net income per 

 person on farms and that of the 

 income per person not on farms 

 that prevailed during the five year 

 period August 1909 ■ July 1914, 

 inclusive, as determined from sta- 

 tistics available in the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, 

 and the maintenance of such ra- 

 tio." 



NOTE: The purchasing power 

 (ConlinueJ on next page) 



MARCH. 1937 



