1194 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



Mr. PiCKELL. Absolutely. 



Mr. Pace. For whom do you speak? 



Mr. PicKELL. The Corn Belt Livestock Feeders Association. 



Mr. Pace. That is the feeders? 



Mr. PiCKELL. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Pace. That is not the hog growers or producers. 



Mr. PicKELL. They produce their own hogs and feed them ; yes, sir. 



Mr. Pace. Mr. Hoeven. 



Mr. Hoeven. Does the Corn Belt Livestock Feeders Association 

 include the swine breeders and the hog producers? 



Mr. PiCKELL. Not the swine associations: no. Our people, how- 

 ever, feed cattle and sheep also. 



Mr. Hoeven. Is your association not made up mainly of cattle 

 feeders? 



Mr. PiCKELL. No, they feed in numbers slightly more pigs than 

 cattle. 



Mr. Hoeven. Does your membership include feeders in the wState 

 of Iowa? 



Mr. PiCKELL. Oh, yes. 



Mr. Hoeven. In reference to the statement made by the chairman 

 a few moments ago as to the provisions of section II of the Agricultural 

 Act of 1948, the Secretary of Agriculture this morning admitted that 

 he did have the authority to use section 32 funds in supporting hogs 

 but that he had not resorted to the use of those funds in supporting 

 hogs. 



Mr. Pace. Under the law which prohibits the use of those funds 

 in excess of 25 percent for any one commodity. 



Mr. Hoeven. But he testified that he never used them for hogs in 

 any amount. 



Mr. Pace. He never had. 



Mr. Hoeven. Yes. He did not deny the fact that he could use 

 the funds. 



Mr. Pace. Mr. Murray this morning stated that thm-e was a total 

 of $149,000,000 a year. It had not been my understanding that the 

 sum was that comprehensive. I thought it was nearer a hundred 

 million. In any event, there would not be over 25 or 30 million dollars 

 available for supporting the price of hogs, which w^ould be an incon- 

 sequential amount, would it not, Mr. Hoeven? 



Mr. Hoeven. Oh, yes, I appreciate that, but I think the Chairman's 

 statement was quite all-inclusive and did not relate to the possibility 

 of doing something else. 



Mr. Pace. Let me say that I want to be fair and clear. I do not 

 believe in the light of the law that the Secretary would feel that he 

 could use any such funds. Mr. Pickell, the language of the law is 

 this: 



The Commodity Credit Corporation shall not carry out any operation to support 

 the price of any non-basic agricultural commodity (other than Irish potatoes), 

 which is so perishable in nature as not to be reasonably storable without excessive 

 loss or excessive cost. 



The Secretary of Agricultiu'e testified here yesterday that under 

 that language he could not support the price of hogs or any commodity 

 other than cotton, corn, wheat, rice, tobacco, peanuts, Irish potatoes 

 and wool. Under the law, beginning the first day of January, the 

 only commodities he could support would be those eight commodities. 



