A POLICY 293 



icy the actual determination of an agricultural program must 

 wait on international politics following peace ; in fact it is very 

 likely that America's agricultural policy will be determined in a 

 large degree by economic relations between nations. If eco- 

 nomic barriers are broken down and peace is made on a basis of 

 internationalism rather than nationalism, if trade is free between 

 nations, our agricultural policy will be much different than if 

 we continue to maintain our politics on national lines and de- 

 velop in America a self-sufficing trade policy. Then we will 

 raise corn in Illinois rather than in Argentine and perhaps find 

 it advisable to buy our meat in Iowa rather than in South 

 America. 



It is evident that agricultural leaders view the problem in 

 different lights but with almost absolute unanimity find it imme- 

 diate and pressing, and all believe that the formulation of such 

 a policy will be a great stroke of agricultural statesmanship. 



II. IS IT FEASIBLE AND DESIRABLE TO RELATE SUCH A POLICY 

 TO THE LARGER QUESTIONS OF THE WORLD FOOD SUPPLY? 



This question was answered very uniformly in the affirmative, 

 although a number of men did not grasp the full significance 

 of the question and saw in it only a question of providing food 

 for people in other parts of the world. It is evident, however, 

 that a sound agricultural policy cannot leave out of account 

 political and productive conditions in other nations. Our agri- 

 cultural policy, for example, must be closely tied up with that of 

 Canada. With perfect free trade between Canada and the 

 United States our agricultural policy must be quite different 

 from a policy based on high protective duties between two coun- 

 tries. If the United States is to become a manufacturing rather 

 than an agricultural nation an agricultural program will have 

 to be shaped to that end and will have to take into consideration 

 the purchase of many agricultural raw materials produced in 

 other parts of the world. In fact, American agriculture has 

 nearly always been shaped to a greater or less degree by our 

 international trade policy. After the war this will be more 

 true than ever. Our very close affiliations with the allied 



