142 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



forest resources must support a population that is still growing, and 

 our objective is a higher standard of living for the people as a whole. 

 Yet, we are still losing productivity on hundreds of thousands of 

 acres every year. Half of all our cropland is still subject to erosion. 

 Obviously, conservation depends on something more than good 

 farm prices. On the other hand, resources can be conserved and 

 improved only if they are used profitably. 



The depression taught us that hard times make poor farmers and 

 poor land. Low prices force farmers to abandon their land-conserva- 

 tion practices in an attempt to make up for lower price by increasing 

 acreage to get a greater volume. For the short pull, they will be able 

 to pile up bigger production with less outlay. But only a few seasons 

 need pass before even production will be decreased. The low wheat 

 prices of the depression brought increased plantings, at great cost in 

 resources. The dust storms in the Great Plains, as well as gullies and 

 floods elsewhere, gave dramatic evidence that surpluses and low 

 prices can lead a nation to ruin. 



Price supports can aid conservation in at least two ways: (a) By 

 bringing additional stability into the farm business so that farm 

 people can enjoy a good standard of living without mining their 

 resources and (6) by directly encouraging types of farming which 

 naturally conserve resources. 



It is generally believed that, for the sake of keeping our resources 

 permanently productive as well as to meet consumer needs, livestock 

 production should be made a more important part of our agriculture. 

 I agree with this. I also think the shift is not likely to take place as 

 promptly and as fully as necessary without the assistance of a well- 

 adapted production and price-adjustment program. 



5. An effective farm program is essential to our national security, 

 will provide a reservoir of goods which protects the Nation against 

 crop failure, and will assure supplies for an even flow of world trade. 

 Reserve supplies above ground and their counterpart — reserve 

 strength in the soil — are essentials of national defense. A large live- 

 stock population is also reserve strength. Before the last war, when 

 we had to convert our Nation quickly into an arsenal of democracy, 

 we were extremely fortunate in having large reserves of grain and 

 cotton. Without having to wait for another harvest, we were able 

 to start conv-erting grain into the high -protein foods that were sorely 

 needed by our friends abroad. Plenty of cotton was available for 

 war uses. Several years of intensive soil-conservation efi'ort had 

 improved many acres of land which had suffered abuse. 



Agriculture justly takes pride in the speed with which it converted 

 to defense and war production. But agriculture is glad to share the 

 credit with the people as a whole, for the storage and soil-conserva- 

 tion programs were made possible by the general public — by a sharing 

 of responsibility by farmers and the whole people. In terms of dollars 

 alone, our prewar stocks proved to be a great investment. 



Reserves also provide security against dangers other than those 

 of war. Although we have never had a drought or other disaster 

 which thi-eatened us with famine or anything close to it, we have 

 had shortages which severely disrupted our economy and caused 

 a great deal of personal hardship. The results of the droughts of 1934 

 and 1936 are examples. Forced liquidation of livestock temporarily 

 increased me:it production and reduced prices, })ut in 1935 beef and 



