Illinois Farmers Back 

 1959 AAA Program 



Participation Expected To Double in Many Counties, 

 Corn Loan Big Reason For increased Compliance 



^ S farmers roll com planters 

 ■X C> out of machine sheds this 

 ^ ^ ^ / month a big majority have 

 their minds set on planting within their 

 allotments received some time ago from 

 county soil conservation committees. In 

 many an Illinois county participation in 

 the AAA program this year will approxi- 

 mately double that of last. 



Chief reason for the increase is the 

 knowledge that those who cooperated in 

 1938 received a 57 cent loan on their 

 corn crop whereas farmers who didn't 

 sold corn for around 40 cents or less on 

 the open market. Reason No. 2 is the 

 15 cent per bushel payment (nine cent 

 conservation, six cents parity) to be forth- 

 coming on average production from al- 

 loted acres. 



The Record Carry-over 



Many a farmer riding across field to 

 the dull methodical click of the planter 

 might well cogitate on such questions 

 as: 



1. How will the record corn carry-over 

 of 1,204,000,000 bushels on April 

 1 aflFect com prices next fall? 



2. What will the government do about 

 its 225,000,000 bushels of 57 cent 

 sealed corn .' . Loans come due Au- 

 gust 1 after which Commodity 

 Credit Corporation has an addi- 

 tional 60 days to dispose of the 

 com. 



3. How will the marketing quota work 

 — a possibility this year — and 

 how will it influence market prices? 



Biggest question mark is this year's 

 crop. A yield like that of 1934 or '36, 

 or a soft com year, would make the 

 bountiful carry-over a godsend, shoot 



EAHL WENZEl. LETT, AND C. E. KOSKI 

 oi DeEalb county committee. 'Toimers 

 are taking it seriously." 



prices skyward. Such an event is un- 

 likely but a possibility. Corn is one of 

 our surest crops. Only three times in 

 nearly 40 years have there been yields 

 of less than two billion bushels. 



A recent trip around the state, revealed 

 county soil conservation offices practical- 

 ly deserted except for a few office work- 

 ers. This is in contrast with the situa- 

 tion a year ago. No throngs, little mis- 

 understanding, no confusion, just p)eace 

 and quiet. Farmers generally understand 

 the program and nearly all long since 

 have made their decisions to go along or 

 stay out. 



88 Per Cent This Year 



"Last year 60 per cent of DeKalb 

 county farmers complied with the pro- 

 gram," said Earl Wenzel, county chair- 

 man. "This year we're estimating 88 

 per cent. Farmers are taking the pro- 

 gram seriously this year. Some who 

 over-planted their allotments and de- 

 cided not to comply last year thought 

 that the loan program would set the 

 price for the entire crop. Now they 

 know better and they are taking no 

 chances on losing the benefit of the loan 

 price." Some consideration is being 

 given to flax as a nurse crop for grass and 

 clover seed in DeKalb county. Flax is 

 classed as non-depleting when a stand 

 of grass is obtained. A good average 

 yield is 12 to 14 bushels an acre worth 

 about $1.90 a bushel. There may be 

 some difficulty in harvesting the crop 

 and finding a nearby market. Most of 

 the domestic crop is grown in the north- 

 west. 



Wenzel indicated that some farmers 



CHAIRMAN TOM MAKER OF 

 Grundy county, "Politics is one 

 reason." 



were concemed when the House recently 

 failed to support the $250,000,000 parity 

 payment appropriation for 1940 in the 

 agricultural bill. When it was learned 

 that the appropriation for parity pay- 

 ments this year is in the bag, the ten- 

 sion eased. 



Jack McKeay, county soil conservation 

 chairman in Lee county expiects 80 per 

 cent participation compared with less 

 than 50 per cent last year. He said 

 the com loan was the biggest factor in 

 the change. The farmer-business men 

 meetings where the AAA program is 

 explained are doing a great deal of 

 good, McKeay said. Approximately 180 

 attended their recent dinner including 

 around 100 business men, ministers, 

 county officials and professional men. 

 Increase in Bureau 



Farm Adviser Paul Dean and Chair- 

 man J. Walter Skoog in Bureau county 

 reported 2100 signed applications with 

 another 100 expected by the dead line 

 May 1. There are about 2800 farms in 

 the county, out of which 2463 were co- 

 operating in 1934. About 70 per cent 

 of the farms and 80 per cent of the 

 crop land are signed up in Bureau coun- 

 ty- 



In Bureau some of the livestock 

 feeders who buy corn are still opposed 

 to the program, Skoog said. "They fig- 

 ure they can make more money feeding 

 cheap corn. Politics' is another reason. 

 I'm a cattle feeder myself and I've no- 

 ticed there's more competition in feed- 

 ing when corn is cheap. I make more 

 money feeding when com is higher 

 priced." 



Phil Kapraun, Marshall-Putnam Farm 

 Bureau member happened to be in the 

 office at Henry. He and his brothers 

 aren't going along this year, he said, be- 

 cause their com allotment of 110 acres 

 is too low on their 400 acre farm. 

 Kapraun Brothers were growing con- 

 siderable wheat and less corn during the 

 history-making years. Lately they quit 

 growing wheat and decided to expand 

 corn acreage. 



In Marshall-Putnam, Secretary Guy 

 French of the county committee is look- 

 ing for 80 per cent compliance this year 

 compared with 40 per cent last year. 



SECRETARY LYNN LANIER, McLEAN 

 "We're estimating 80 per cent participa- 

 tion this year." 



