GEISTERAL FARM PROGRAM 711 



Before I start I wish to assure you Congressmen that Ave believe 

 each of you have our interests at heart and are doing a fine job and 

 will continue to do your utmost in our behalf. We are proud of you 

 and thankful to you. Furthermore, gentlemen, I assure you that I 

 do not have the answers to the manifold problems facing agriculture 

 today. If I did have, I wouldn't be here taking up your valuable 

 time. 



It might be interesting to have 3'ou know what I would be doing 

 if I were at home. We had just made arrangements last week for 

 trucks, tractors, and manure spreaders to spread about 200 acres of 

 land with manure, but the boys said I had better come to Washington. 



Mr. Sullivan. And spread it here. [Laughter.] 



Mr. Parkixsox. No. 



Concurrmg with my able colleague, Dr. Sullivan, I would like to 

 offer just a few more ideas with regard to the immediate future. I 

 believe we should place an acreage allotment on a potential as well as 

 a historic base. First, because, regardless of legislation, wheat like 

 corn or cotton should and will be grown in those areas best adapted to 

 their production. Past history will bear me out in the aforesaid 

 statement. I cite you to the State of Mmnesota which in 1918 was 

 second only to Kansas in the production of wheat and produced in 

 that year about 90,000,000 bushels of wheat. I do not have the exact 

 figures, but it is mighty near that. It is now a dairy State with an 

 approximate 9,000,000 bushel average^— Furthermore, and I am sure 

 you gentlemen have the figures to prove that, the high plains area is 

 one of the regions in the United States best adapted to the production 

 of wheat. So in view of acceptance b}^ farmers of acreage controls, 

 we believe that the distribution and marketing of our surplus wheat 

 should be given a great deal of exploration and study. For example, 

 as the crop prospects now stand, we could produce a crop of 1,300,000,- 



000 bushels of wheat this year in the United States. We annually 

 consume 500,000,000 bushels. We annuallv feed approximately 

 100,000,000 bushels, and for seed 80,000,000 bushels. Assuming 

 that Congress ratifies the international wheat agreement, we can 

 expect to ex-port 168,000,000 bushels. That makes a total of '848,- 

 000,000 bushels, leaving a total of 452,000,000. Now, further assum- 

 ing that for at least the next year Germanv and Japan will need 

 about 150,000,000 bushels, that leaves us with 302,000,000 bushels 

 of wheat from this year's prospects. Add that to our carry-over of 

 approximately 300,000,000 — and I may stand corrected on that 

 figure, but assuming it is correct — that leaves us with approximately 

 600,000,000 bushels. We believe and I have always contended that 

 we should have a carry-over in the United States of at least 400,- 

 000,000 bushels. That gives us a balance of 200,000,000 bushels to 

 distribute somewhere throughout this world. 



This is where the second phase of my presentation comes in. I pro- 

 pose that the farmers receive 90 percent of parity on the 500,000,000 

 bushels of wheat consumed domestically ; that he receive the price set 

 up in the international wheat agreement for the 168,000,000 bushels; 

 also 90 percent of parity for the 150,000,000 bushels needed in Japan 

 and Germany and also for the approximately 300,000,000 bushels 

 needed to adequately protect our people for the coming year. Now 

 taking out our feed and seed, we come back to the 200,000,000 bushels 



1 mentioned above. I propose that we build storage abroad for about 



