666 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



Mr. KuPER. Well I would not say that there have been too awful 

 many. Down in our section of the country, where they just have 

 range cattle running the year round on the range, I would say that it 

 would take anywhere from 15 to 20 acres of land per cow to run one 

 cow. However, it has been a lot more profitable for that land to 

 produce grain than to run cattle on it. 



However, we still have some sage brush country and sandy land 

 that is still used to produce cattle. But we have replaced production 

 of cattle in our country, I would say, in pounds of beef, to a certain 

 extent, by being able to graze the wheat in the wintertime. 



Mr. Granger. It seems to me that we are going around in a 

 vicious circle. Everybody coming before this committee said we 

 must get more livestock. As a matter of fact I do not know of any 

 group that has displaced more livestock than the fellows who raise 

 wheat. In my section beginning in Colorado, straight on through 

 Idaho and into Oregon, and I suppose in Texas and everywhere else, 

 they have gone clear up to the timber line to plant wheat on what 

 used to be ranches used for sheep and cattle. As a result we have reduced 

 the population of sheep to the lowest point in history. Now they come 

 back and tell us we have to do something to get it back, and it seems 

 we are just going around in circles. 



Mr. Pace. Any further questions. 



Mr. HoEVEN. Mr. Kuper, under your proposed base period, you 

 make no provision for the new wheat grower? 



Mr. Kuper. That is just what I was trying to bring out a little 

 while ago; it is a tough situation. 



Mr. Hoeven. What base do you propose for the new grower? The 

 committee would be interested in loiowing about it. 



Mr. Kuper. Just to be frank about it I would not know just how 

 to answer your question, other than to say if we take just the past 

 recent 5 years and average it on the basis of 5 years, you should have 

 a pretty good base on them. 



But the 5 years before that they would not have much ; but if you 

 add the two together and divide it by two, possibly strike a middle 

 in between — I would not know just how badly it would cut it down- 

 but I do know there has been an awful lot of land put into production 

 in the last few years which is going to hurt awfully bad. But still 

 on the other hand, just like myself, as I stated, on one farm that I had, 

 I only had a 70-acre base, and that would go into the 5 years. 



Mr. Hoeven. But you would place a penalty on the new grower? 



Mr. Kuper. Yes. 



Mr. Hoeven. You would give him no base at all. 



Mr. Granger. How would it affect you, if you had been growing 

 wheat over the entire period that you have, how would it affect your 

 operations ; how much would it cut you down? 



Mr. Kuper. I would say that it would probably cut my production 

 about 50 percent. 



Mr. Granger. How much? 



Mr. Kuper. About 50 percent. 



Mr. Hill. Suppose you planted your land in milo maize or kaffir 

 corn, would that result in blowing of the soil? 



Mr. Kuper. It would not increase the blowing at all. It would be 

 the finest thing in the world if we were allowed to plant milo maize or 

 kaffir corn or something Uke that to get some of the land out of wheat 



