PORK EXPORTS AND CORN BELT PROSPERITY 71 



ous to the war, and it is to be expected, now that the war is over, 

 that the phenomena will repeat themselves, altho with some added 

 variations. 



One thing we must remember is that very possibly the export 

 trade of the United States will not count so big in the future as it 

 has in the past. The United States has loaned something like 

 $10,000,000,000 to foreign countries, and every year she will have 

 hundreds of millions of dollars in interest coming her way, instead 

 .of owing hundreds of millions of dollars to countries across the 

 water, as was the case before the war. And as long as the United 

 States has so much money coming to her in interest charges, we 

 must expect that eventually the United States must import more 

 goods than she exports. This does not necessarily mean the de- 

 struction of the hog industry in the corn belt, but it may mean that 

 it will have to shift onto a somewhat different basis. It may be 

 that in the future we must plan on growing enough hogs only to 

 satisfy the needs of the United States, carefully avoiding a glut 

 which will make it essential to export any large quantity. Or it 

 may be that the American farmer is so exceedingly efficient in the 

 business of producing hogs that the United States will always ex- 

 port large quantities of pork products, even tho the balance of 

 trade otherwise is against the United States. If we approach the 

 problem from the standpoint of going after a large trade in hog 

 products with foreign countries, we must put ourselves in position 

 to produce with the utmost economy possible. "Price" talks in 

 the export business, and we shall export large quantities of hog 

 products whenever we are selling hogs decidedly cheaper than the 

 rest of the world. 



Just what kind of a whistle do we want, and what price are we. 

 willing to pay for it? Here is a problem which we commend to the 

 earnest study of the research department which the National Farm 

 Bureau Federation may some day possess. 



