92 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



Mr. Andresen. You must have some figures, else how did you ar- 

 rive at the 800,000,000 bushels. 



Mr. Walker. That is correct. I can give you some figures for 

 years prior to 1948. 



Mr. Andresen. I would like to have the figures say beginning back 

 in 1940, from 1944 on to show how production of corn has increased 

 outside the normal commercial area. 



Mr. Walker. All right. Do you have this folder [indicating! before 

 you? 



Mr. Andresen. Yes. 



Mr. Walker. You will find a table in this folder by years giving 

 the figures you aj'e asking for. 



In 1942 the production outside the commercial area was 863 million 

 bushels. 



In 1943 it was 784,000,000 bushels. 



In 1944 it was 802.000,000 bushels. 



In 1945 it was 792,000.000 bushels. 



In 1946 it was 796,000,000 bushels. 



And in 1947 it was 748,000,000 bushels. 



Mr. Andresen. Was that on the same acreage? 



Mr. Walker. That is on the same acreage. That is the basis upon 

 which the commercial corn area for 1949 would be. You see, the com- 

 mercial corn area does not adhere or confine itself to State lines. 



In Ohio about one-third of the State is outside the commercial area. 

 Therefore we must have county acreage and production data in order 

 to determine the production outside the commercial area. 



I would like to make this statement, that the estimate of the 1949 

 crop of corn at 3.5 billion bushels is rather high when we take into 

 consideration average conditions. In fact, the 1948 crop was unusu- 

 ally high, even taking into account the use of more hybrid seed corn, 

 and taking into account the higher yields that we are getting on farms 

 due to other improvements. 



Mr. Andresen. The good seed and the ideal growing weather made 

 that unusually good crop year. 



Mr. Walker. Yes; so the estimate of 3.5 billion bushels for 1949 

 we believe may be too high. Three billion bushels, or around that 

 neighborhood, would be expected under average conditions. 



Mr. Andresen. Of com'se, it all depends on whether we have corn 

 knee high by the fourth of July. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



Mr. Andresen. Wliether or not it would mature, and it also depends 

 upon the weather and the moistui'e we will have in August and 

 September. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



Mr. Hill. We cannot overlook the threat of grasshoppers. We 

 have the greatest grasshopper threat since 1872 or 73. 



Mr. Andresen. That can also affect wheat as well as corn. 



Mr. Hill. Yes. 



Mr. Walker. I just want to make this point, that 3.5 billion bushels 

 would make the situation, as we see it now, rather disturbing from the 

 standpoint of allotment acreage in 1950. 



Mr. Hill. The gentleman is familiar, I suppose, with the real 

 grasshoppper threat facing the farmers this year. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



