GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 1191 



Mr. Pace. Mr. Pickell, that does not click with the statement you 

 have just given us. The statement you have just given us said that 

 in order to enjoy these benefits the farmers would fatten up their hogs. 



Mr. Pickell. That is right, if he is going to put in this subsidy 

 proposal. They will just produce all the tonnage they possibly can. 



Mr. Pace. Well, Air. Pickell, that does not add up to me. The 

 most the farmer can get under either program is going to be the sup- 

 port price, assuming that the price drops below that. 



Mr. Pickell. But his support price is $19. 



Mr. Pace. We are talking now about the outstanding support- 

 prico program of $16.50. I do not understand why the farmer would 

 respond voluntarily by keeping his hogs within certain weights m 

 order to get the $16.50 support price program. 



Mr. Pickell. To prevent havmg to take the $16.50 support price 

 level. 



Mr. Pace. You have given us figures here on the pig crop this year 

 that are so high that you have no misgivings in your mind about hogs 

 staying up to the support price level, do you? 



Air. Pickell. I do not think they will go below it if the farmers will 

 market their hogs between weights of 200 and 235 pounds. I do not 

 think the market will go below that $16.50. 



Air. Pace. I think that is a pretty big "if you are throwing at us. 

 I think the "if" is just as big in that as it is in your statement. 



Then your opinion is that if the Secretary of Agriculture would issue 

 a statement to farmers appealing to them to keep their hog weights 

 within certain limits that it will not be necessary for the Secretary to 

 buy any hogs in order to maintain them at the support level this fall? 



Mr. Pickell. I think that might be absolutely true. 



Mr. Pace. I was not talking about that big "might" vou threw iii 

 there, Mr. Pickeh. 



Mr. Pickell. He said the market was going down in April or May. 

 It did not. It went down, yes, as long as he was talking about how far 

 it was going down and what a terrible situation there was. The minute 

 he stopped talking about that, it turned right around and went in the 

 other direction. There is not a big surplus of hogs. The number is 

 not excessive. 



Mr. Pace. I thought you just said there was. 



Mr. Pickell. There will be if he puts this program through. I 

 think the first reaction to his statement that the hogs should be 

 marketed and that this program is not going through would be that 

 these young sows which are being held back now and Ijeing rebred 

 would come to market. 



Mr. Pace. I do not want to belabor the point, Mr. Pickell, but it 

 does not seem to me you are being very consistent. If the production 

 payment plan of the Secretary is put into effect this year on the present 

 price support program, all that the farmer can hope to get would be 

 his market price plus the payment to bring his price up to $16.50. 

 That is all he could hope for under any circumstances. He could 

 not sell his sows and its gilts for slaughter. That would not help it 

 any. He has a $16.50 limit on him in both cases, whether we go on 

 with the purchase program or whether we go on with the payment 

 program. 



Air. Pickell. No, $19 on the payment program. 



91215 — 49 — ser. v, pt. 6 5 



