GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 733 



their acreage allotments who will proceed to ignore them. That is a 

 real question. 



I am wondering, however, if you would not meet that situation to 

 a large degree if the Secretary were to go ahead and proclaim market- 

 ing quotas and announce that the election would be held in the spring 

 at a definite date to be fixed later. 



1 would like to have the comments of any of you representatives 

 of the Department on that general subject. 



Mr. Walker. For a long-range program, Mr. Hope, the holding of 

 a referendum prior to the seeding of the crop seems to me to be the 

 best thir>g. Then producers know before seeding time whether m.ar- 

 keting quotas are in effect. I say for a long-range program that 

 would be the best thing. 



Mr. Hope. I think I agree with you. 



Mr. Walker. For this coming year, I think there is a great deal 

 of merit in what you say. We are pushing ahead too rapidly, on the 

 determination of farm allotments. We believe that we can meet the 

 dead line with the farm allotments in time for the referendum, but it 

 would only be a very few days at most before the referendum could 

 be held. If the Secretary had the authority — and he may have it — 

 to proclaim marketing quotas by July 1 on the 1950 crop, and then 

 hold the referendum next spring, it seem_s to me personally that that 

 would be much better for this coming crop year than to hold the 

 referendum before July 25. 



Mr. Hope. That is all that I am thinking about now, the coming 

 crop year. 



Mr. Andresen. Will the gentleman yield? 



Mr. Hope. Yes. 



Mr. Andresen. It seems to me it would not make so much difference 

 because the acreage allotments which will be made by July 15, certain- 

 ly will be predicated upon the production needs for 1950. 



Mr. Walker. That is true, but it is participation under those 

 allotments that really counts. If you had marketing quotas you 

 would have most of the farmers participating under the program. 

 If you did not have marketing quotas, then your participation would 

 be much less. 



Mr. Andresen. Marketing quotas provide an additional penalty 

 for production on acreage that is over and above the acreage allot- 

 ment so. No. 1, when you make the acreage allotment you have a 

 certain penalty for those who do not comply. They are called 

 noncooperators . 



Mr. Walker. In the case of marketing quotas. 



Mr. Woolley. In the case of acreage allotments, too. 



Mr. Andresen. You have other penalties even though you do not 

 have marketing quotas. They are denied soil conservation payments 

 and are given a lower support price. 



Mr. Walker. I see what you mean. 



Mr. Andresen. You have a penalty there and you call those who 

 exceed their acreage allotment noncooperators. Personally, I think 

 the referendum should be held after you find out what the crop is 

 going to be, but I do not think it will make so much difference because 

 when you make yom* acreage allotment on wheat, that is certainly 

 predicated upon the needs for the next crop year. When you have 



91215 — 49 — ser. s, pt. 4- 



