enactment of any law directed toward 

 the improvement of agricultural condi- 

 tions through interference with the law 

 of supply and demand if and when in- 

 dustrial business and labor leaders of 

 America will agree to the repeal of all 

 laws that have resulted in artificial stand- 

 ards for others and the removal of the 

 many monopolies of every kind and 

 character that are known to exist. How- 

 ever, so long as ways and means are de- 

 veloped and maintained to keep indus- 

 trial prices and the standard of wages 

 far above that which would otherwise 

 exist under the free operation of the 

 law of supply and demand, American 

 agriculture will have no other pleasure 

 than to continue aggressively and I hope 

 in a more determined manner, to seek the 

 necessary assistance of Government to 

 keep agriculture on a plane of equality 

 with other groups. 



Should We Ignore? 



"I know of no group of citizens who 

 have a wider influence in their respective 

 communities, or who should better under- 

 stand the serious effect upon price levels 

 of farm products and farm values that 

 results from excessive supplies, than do 

 the bankers of this State and Nation. 

 Should we ignore, or should we face the 

 fact that on April 1 this year, government 

 reports show, there was piled up on the 

 farms of the Nation 1,067,000,000 bush- 

 els of corn and 40,000,000 bushels in 

 terminal elevators. Keep in mind this 

 is the result of only one year of normal 

 weather without acreage adjustment. This 

 is close to 300,000,000 bushels in excess 

 of our normal carry-over and 600,000,000 

 bushels more than the previous year. 



"I do not hesitate to predict that un- 

 less the acreage planted to corn this year 

 is very materially reduced and normal 

 weather conditions follow, that the price 

 of this important grain will be reduced 

 approximately 40% before late fall and 

 the price is now only about two-thirds 

 of its rightful exchange value. 



"Every informed student of agriculture 

 knows that the price of corn each year 

 largely determines the volume and there- 

 fore, the price of hogs in succeeding 

 periods, and they also know that the 

 price of cattle is largely influenced by 

 the price of hogs. 



It is now being predicted by market 

 analysists connected with the Board of 

 Trade, as well as the Crop Reporting 

 Service of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture that unless adverse con- 

 ditions occur between now and harvest, 

 the wheat crop of the country will ap- 

 proximate 1,100,000,000 bushels. If this 

 occurs, together with the carry-over of 

 last year's crops, there will be enough 

 wheat in the United States to meet all 

 normal requirements of the country for 

 two years 



AT PRODUCERS CREAMERY. CARBONDALE 

 L*ft, Mrs. lease Klein, Williamson county samples a sprig of wild onion which often 

 gets into milk and cream this time of yeor. How to get the flaror out of butter is the 

 creameryman's toughest problem. 



Nineteen Rural young people from Williamson, lackson. Union counties vrere on 

 the tour arranged by Frank Gingrich of the lAA. The young folks abore are sampling 

 Prairie Farms butter. The Stringtown Clod Hoppers S-piece orchestra furnished music 

 at noon. Harry W. Day conducted a tour through the Fruit Exchange Building. 



Wheat Insurance 



Wheat crop insurance sponsored by 

 the Federal Crop Insurance Corpora- 

 tion will be offered Illinois farmers at 

 either 75 or 50 per cent of the aver- 

 age yield established for their farms. 



Premiums payable in advance of the 

 seeding of the 1939 crop will be pay- 

 able in bushels of wheat or the cash 

 equivalent of the wheat at the time 

 premium is paid. Any losses, likewise, 

 will be paid in wheat or its cash equiva- 

 lent at the time the loss is paid. 



Premium rates will vary depending 

 on the county and individual farm. In 

 Illinois the basic county loss figure per 

 acre for 75 per cent insurance varies from 

 .5 to .6 of a bushel in such counties as 

 Morgan, Massac, Menard and McDon- 

 ough up to 2.2 and 2.3 bushels in such 

 counties as Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall 

 and LaSalle. For 50 per cent insur- 

 ance the basic county loss figure varies 

 from .1 bu. per acre in Menard and 

 Massac counties up to 1.4 bushels in 

 Kendall county. In determining the 

 premium rate for each farm the aver- 

 age county loss figure is used along 

 with the six-year average loss for each 

 farm. The two figures are averaged 

 to get the figure rate. 



The program will be administered 

 under the direction of the soil conser- 

 vation committees, and protects the in- 

 sured against the usual hazards of 

 weather, disease, and insect damage. 



Look at the Facts 



"With these conditions facing us and 

 their probable effect if not controlled, 

 I ask you, my friends, should we sit 

 idly by and listen to the cries of the op- 

 position and do nothing, or should we 

 proceed aggressively despite such opposi- 

 tion, look facts squarely in the face, take 

 advantage of our opportunities before it 

 is too late and cooperate in securing the 

 necessary adjustment which any soundly 

 operated business would seek. Onlv by 

 such cooperation can farmers feel assured 

 that the surpluses already accumulated 

 will find their way to market during the 

 late summer, fall and winter, without 

 serious effect upon the price levels of this 

 basic grain. 



"It is too late to do much about wheat 

 since wheat was largely planted long 

 before the enactment of the Agricultural 

 Adjustment Act of 1938. However, 

 should com producers show a wide- 

 spread interest in and cooperate with the 

 Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, 

 I firmly believe it will be a comparatively 

 easy matter to secure from Government 

 the needed assistance for storing and 

 controlling to a large extent, the oncom- 

 ing surplus of wheat, and thus assist 

 in maintaining higher price levels than 

 would otherwise exist. 



"If corn farmers, who in many cases 

 are also wheat farmers, display indif- 

 ference or opposition to the corn adjust- 

 ment program, will the Government be 

 justified in believing that wheat farmers 

 would make the necessary adjustment in 

 next year's wheat acreage so as to make 

 feasible a substantial loan on this year's 

 crop.' " 



n 



Chas. M. Hunter, Abingdon, is super- 

 visor of the wheat crop insurance pro- 

 gram for Illinois. i 



!• 



L A. A. RECORD 



