GE^"ERAL FARM PROGRAAI 1 [7 



-Mr. SuTTOX. Also the trends today as the result of soil eouseiva- 

 tion practices, and the convei'sion of these hillside slopes into areas 

 where they can really produce corn, and where they are preventing 

 erosion. 



Mr. ^^ ALKEi;. Yes; thi-ough the use of terracing-. strip-crop]iing 

 and contour farming. 



Mr. Sutton. And different methods. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



Mr. Pace. I have one other question, n.ot to get too far away, from 

 the subject matter. It occurs to me, in making marketing quota 

 laws, and in maKing acreage allotments, the objective of course is to 

 try to protect the economic welfare of the producer. Would it or not 

 be wise in future legislation for the Congress to \\Tite into all of these 

 formulas that the Department must not only taKe into account the 

 total acreage, the tyi)e of soil, the topography, and so forth, bet that 

 also some consideration must be given o.s to the gross income or the 

 net income to the operator? 



Congress has ^^Titten into the Aiken bill a provision defining parity 

 iiu'ome, and in the soil conservation and domestic allotu.ient act, and 

 there is the d.uty on Congress and the Secretary to bring the operators 

 income to parity, but in addition to that there are certain mmimimi 

 economic needs of the farm, family, and i can see where under the 

 geiieral marketing ciiiota law with respect to a number of r-ommodities 

 you might get the operation down to where the farmer wotdd not have 

 sufficient acreage allotraent to live on. 



Mr. WAiiKER. Of course, you have the minimum provisions iu the 

 law now accordi]i!j: to which up to 15 acres of corn may be grown 

 without being subject to marketing nuotas. Tf the farmei' does not 

 have over 15 acres he would not be affected by the marketing Quota. 



Mr. Pace. It might not be, if he had only 15 acres, or if he had a 

 large acreage in some other crop, his main source of income. Now if 

 his production fi'om. that other crop is the main source of income, the 

 15 acres might not represent a considerable amount. 



As I say, I do not know that the Congress woidd ever want to enter 

 into that field, but tliei-e ai-e a good many people who think that there 

 should be some over-all consideration, when we get to making acreage 

 allotments, to give the producer a sufficient allotment to allow for the 

 maintenance of himself and his family at a fair standard of living. 



Mr. W alker. I can see what you are thinking of, Mr. Chairman, 

 and you could do that by imposing, through legislation, a proviso that 

 in the determination of the farm-acreage allotment, consideration 

 shall be given to this economic factor of income from the farm.. 



Mr. Pace. The total or net income. 



Mr. Walker. It sounds all right, but I do not know how you could 

 manipulate it to bring about a balance in determining the allotment. 



Mr. Pace. You see, they have written into these laws, a provision 

 that the Secretary in fixing the national allotments of corn must take 

 into account the welfare of the consumer. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



Mr. Pace. For the welfare of people off" the farm, which is directly 

 taken into account, and must be, by the Secretary. 



Mr. Walker. Yes. 



