306 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



Mr. Abeqnethy. I would like to ask one. 



The Chairman. Mr. Abernethy. 



Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Secretary, in the early part of your statement 

 today, in answer to a question posed by Mr. Granger, you stated that 

 there would be less government regulation in the program which you 

 propose than the one we have now. I cannot reconcile your answer 

 with your statement. 



As I understand, you propose to continue all present methods of 

 controlling production. 



Secretary Brannan. To have them available in stand-by position 

 as they are now. 



Mr. Abernethy. And you would have some similarity between 

 your support program and the present price support program. But 

 do you not go just a little fm-ther in with regulations? Do you not 

 specifically require that the farmers comply with certain soil practices 

 and soil conservation practices which are not now required in order to 

 participate in a support program? 



Secretary Brannan. If you will refer to our statement yesterday, 

 I cited the provisions of the law where that can be done now. We 

 suggested that there may be circumstances under which you would 

 want to insist, let us say, that the farmer not engage in some soil- 

 depleting type of production at the same time he was receiving money 

 from the Federal Government. You would then have two policies in 

 conflict But that can, if I understand the rules and regulations and 

 laws todfW, be done right now. 



Mr. Ab;;rnethy. Of course, we all want less regulation. I received 

 a letter from one of my constituents this morning with reference to the 

 present and proposed farm programs. One of the things he pointed 

 out is that farmers desire less regulation. You have stated that 

 there would bo less regulation but I cannot reconcile your answer with 

 your statement of April 7. 



Secretary Brannan. Mr. Abernethy, let me give you just this 

 short type of explanation, if I can. The fundamental objective is to 

 get some shifts in our pattern of production out of the things in long 

 supply into the things that are in short supply. 



You can get farmers out of things in long supply by tight regulations, 

 by limitations, marketing quotas and so forth. You may also be able 

 to get them out by inducement. That is the reason we have p#t the 

 emphasis on livestock, in order to induce some of the people who are 

 growing row crops and grains to get out of that business and put in a 

 little pasture and go into livestock. The best way to induce it is 

 to make it attractive price-wise. If we could get people out of some 

 of the row crops and grain crops into livestock and dairying by a 

 process of price inducement, I think we would be saving the govern- 

 ment a lot of money. We would be avoiding, at least for the time 

 being, further regulation on the producer in accordance with his 

 present pattern, and finally I think we would avoid much more 

 administrative mechanism, employees and so forth, in the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



If I may give you a second example, which is a little more remote, 

 but just as realistic, if we can get a conversion of our great grain crops 

 such as corn into meat and into the market at reasonable prices, we 

 are going to be able to cut down this very substantial stock of corn 

 that we have today and convert in into hogs and beef and some other 



