GENERAL FARM PROGRAM ^3 



Air. Hill. The most severe threat that we have. ever had. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



Mr. Hill. In the Western States. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



Mr. Sutton. You are talking about this year's corn crop? 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



Mr. Sutton. If the grasshoppers should eat the corn crop then you 

 will not need to worry about that acreage allotment. 



Mr. Walker. That would be true. 



Mr. Hill. Provided you can take that into consideration before 

 they plant the crop. 



Mr. Walker. That is right. 



Mr. Hill. I know it is considered very serious out in our part of the 

 country, starting in Colorado. 



Mr. Andresen. If that happens to the corn crop and they destroy 

 it, then there will be some 365,000,000 bushels of wheat that the Com- 

 modity Credit Corporation will not own. 



Mr. PoAGE. Mr. Walkei", will you go ahead and tell us how you 

 break down this allotment? 



Mr. Walker. The national acreage allotment is prorated among the 

 counties in the commercial corn producing area, on the basis of the 

 acreage planted to corn in those counties during the preceding 10 years, 

 adjusted, (1) for trends in acreage; (2), for participation in previous 

 adjustment programs, and (3) for abnormal weather conditions. 



That is worked out on a county basis. The national allotment is 

 not prorated to States, since, as I have mentioned some moments ago, 

 the commercial corn area is not confined to State lines. After adjust- 

 ments are made for trends, and for diversion credits under the previous 

 programs, we determine what is called the trend value for the county; 

 that is, the average acreage adjustment for trends, and for abnormal 

 conditions. Then we scale the national acreage allotment to the 

 counties on the basis of that adjusted average acreage which we call 

 the trend value. 



Mr. Sutton [interposing]. Who does that? 



Mr. Walker. We here in Washington make the calculations and 

 compute the total indicated allotment. 



After we compute it here we go out and review this with the State 

 PMA and the State BAE offices to make such adjustments as are 

 needed in the indicated county allotment as their local analysis would 

 indicate should be made. After those adjustments are made in the 

 State offices they are brought back here for approval by the Secretary 

 and documented for the record. 



Mr. Sutton (interposing). Under that procedure the farmer has 

 nothing to say about what the committee shall do; the State member 

 of the committee is the man who is dictated to by the Department? 



Mr. Walker. At this level we are prorating the national allotment 

 to counties. 



Mr. Sutton. That is right. 



Mr. Walker. The committee work is at the county level. 



Mr. Sutton. And that is done by the Department of Agriculture? 



Mr. Walker. By the Department of Agriculture. 



Mr. Sutton. And through the State P. cV' M. A. committees. 



Mr. Walker. With the cooperation of the State P. & M. A. office. 



91215 — 49 — pt. 1 7 



