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ho cents a pound when made from alcohol cooipared vlth eight to 10 cents a pound from 

 petroleum. That made the coat of alcohol synthetic rubber around 2k l/2 cents a 

 pound comp€U7ed with 12- or 13 cent-rubber from the petroleum butadiene plants on the 

 Gulf Coast. The petroleum plants can produce enough butadiene to malce 600,000 tons of 

 general-purpose synthetic rubber annually. The estimated need for the next 12 months 

 is 550,000 tons in addition to the 300,000 tons of natural rubber which is expected to 

 come from liberated and other areas. 



Prodiyjblon goals for 19^6 . National production goals have been announced. 

 State goals xHl be worked out in detail during December by interested federal and 

 state agenolss, farm organizations euad other interested groups. One osf ^e objec- 

 tives In^the new goals is to restore a better balance between soil-depleti^ emd soil- 

 consei^^njig crops. Production is expected to be maintained Itt a very high level and 

 will provide, presuming favorable weather, a civilian per capita consung)tion higher 

 than during war years and a substantial amount for export to countries seriously in 

 need of food. Goals for feed grains, including com, beu?ley, oats and grain sorghums, 

 are all at or sligjhtly above 19^5 indicated production. The goal of soybeans for 

 beans is reduced 10 percent, com up 3 percent, oats unchanged eaid barley up 9 percent, 

 All tame hay is up 1 percent Emd hay seeds up l6 percent. In general a decline is ex- 

 pected in niambers of livestock on farms. The goals call for 2 percent reduction in 

 milk production, a decline in 13 percent in the niamber of hens and pullets on farms 

 January 1, a decline of 15 percent in egg production, a decline of 17 percent in the 

 number of chicks raised on farms, a decline of 10 percent in the number of turkeys 

 raised, an increase of 1 percent in spring pigs saved, a decline of 2 percent in the 

 number of cattle and calves on fanoB December 31 and a decline of 3 percent in the num- 

 ber of beef cattle on farmB December 31. No change is called for in the number of 

 sheep and lambs on farms. 



Food economists of the Iftiited States Department of Agriculture say that the 

 average American will be at least as well fed in 19^6 as he has been in 19^5. They 

 forecast a relatively high clviliem level of nutrition for the country as a whole dur- 

 ing the coming year, assuming that comnercial food production continues large, that 

 families continue to have home vegetable gardens and that any surpluses are well dis- 

 tributed. The calory content of American meals next year is likely to be higher than 

 this year because meats, fats and oils and possibly sugar are expected to be in leurger 

 supply. The anticipated 3^500 calories dally per capita is 7 or 8 percent more than 

 the average for the prewar years and ample for our needs. American meeJ-s may have 

 less vitamins A and C if incomes decline, because of the tendency to buy fewer vegeta- 

 bles €uid fruits. Any decline in the consumption of milk would result in the consump- 

 tion of less calcium and riboflavin. The consunqption of B- vitamins and iron will 

 depend partly upon whether bread and flour continue to be enriched at present levels. 



U. S. farm prices average 117 percent of parity in November . As a result of 

 a rise in the general farm conanodity price level to 205 percent of its 1909-1^ average 

 emd no change in the index of prices paid, interest emd taxes, prices received by 

 farmers averaged 117 percent of parity in mid-November comp€a*ed with 11^ percent in 

 October and 115 percent a year ago. U. S, prices ranked in the following order as a 

 percentage of peirity: 



m 



