I. A. A. RECORD— September, 1933 



'■i;:-\\ 



» 



Wheat Production 

 Control Campaign 



in Illinois 



By R. R. Hudelson, Extension Economist, University of 

 Illinois, Acting State Manager, Wheat 

 ^f . Adjustment Campaign 



DEAN H. W. MUM 

 FORD 



THE campaign to sign up the 

 100,000 wheat growing farmers 

 of Illinois so that they can get 

 the benefits of the wheat program of 

 the Agricultural Adjustment Act is 

 now in full swing in every county of 

 the state. 



If all Illinois wheat growers come in 

 on the plan, approximately $4,771,691 



would be added 

 almost immediate- 

 ly to their cash 

 income and pur- 

 chasing power 

 and more lasting 

 benefits would be 

 expected to come 

 later through ad- 

 justing the supply 

 of wheat to the 

 effective demand. 

 Cash benefits also are to be paid in 

 1934 and 1935, in addition to the ap- 

 proximately four and three-fourths 

 million dollars which would be paid on 

 this year's crop. 



The task of directing the educational 

 and preliminary organization work of 

 the campaign has been assigned by the 

 Agricultural Adjustment Administra- 

 tion to the extension service of the 

 College of Agriculture, University of 

 Illinois, including county farm ad- 

 visers. Where there is no county farm 

 adviser or where the number of 

 growers in the territory is so large 

 as to make it impossible to get the 

 work done on time, an emergency ag- 

 ricultural assistant has been put on 

 special civil service appointment for 

 the work. 



■ : County Associations 



Later on, the administration of the 

 wheat program in the various counties 

 will be passed over to the county 

 wheat production control associations 

 which will be organized after the cam- 

 paign is a little farther along. 



The broad economic purpose of the 

 wheat program is to balance produc- 

 tion with effective demand and, in the 



public interest, to stimulate the buy- 

 ing power of agriculture. This stimu- 

 lus to farm buying power will be 

 brought about by bringing the price 

 of domestically consumed wheat to 

 parity, or, in other words, by giving it 

 the same purchasing power which it 

 had in the pre-war period, 1910-1914. 

 Briefly, the plan is the domestic allot- 

 ment one. About 54 percent, or that 

 part of the country's wheat which is 

 used in the United States for human 

 consumption, is put under a processing 

 tax, and the fund thus raised is used 

 to guarantee the producer a parity 

 price for his proportionate share of 

 the wheat which is consumed at home. 

 Thus the plan is self-supporting and 

 not a drain on the Federal treasury. 



Most people mistakingly believe that 

 the government's wheat program is 

 necessary because farmers have been 

 "making two blades of wheat grow 

 where one grew before." As a matter 

 of fact the wheat crisis has been 

 brought about not so much by any 

 blind overproduction on the part of 

 American farmers but rather because 

 the foreign market for wheat- has 

 largely disappeared and exports have 

 dwindled to far less than they used 

 to be. 



Plan Is Voluntary 



The plan is entirely voluntary, and 

 any wheat grower, regardless of 

 whether or not he is a member of any 

 farm organization, may make applica- 

 tion for taking part. To this end, 

 county farm advisers already have 

 made up mailing lists of every wheat 

 grower in their counties. County 

 campaign committees of seven to nine 

 men also have been appointed in prac- 

 tically all counties to assist the farm 

 advisers. Community meetings al- 

 ready have been held in some counties 

 to explain the plan to growers, and 

 the remaining counties will hold such 

 meetings immediately. Once the plan 

 is explained to farmers in these com- 

 munity meetings, they will start send- 



ing in their applications for acreage 

 adjustment contracts. Signup stations 

 will be set up in each county to which 

 farmers can go a few days after their 

 community meeting and turn in their 

 applications. 



In his application each grower will 

 give his acreage and total production 

 for each of the three years, 1930, 1931 

 and 1932. The average acreage for 

 these three years will be the standard 

 base for figuring each farmer's acreage 

 adjustment. Similarly, the average 

 production for these three years will 

 determine each farmer's allotment. 

 Under exceptional conditions, five-year 

 averages may be used instead of three- 

 year. However, the decision on this 

 will rest with the county allotment 

 committee which is appointed later in 

 the program. 



Each farmer's allotment upon which 

 he will get the compensation payment 

 for acreage adjustment will be ap- 

 proximately 54 percent of his average 

 production for the base period, 1930- 

 1932. The idea, as was explained, is 

 to give the farmer a parity price for 

 that proportion of his wheat which 

 goes into domestic consumption, and 

 that proportion has been figured out 

 a.T 54 percent. 



The rate for the compensation pay- 

 ments will be approximately 28 cents 

 a bushel. Twenty cents of this will be 

 pj.ici soon after September 15 and the 

 remainder next spring upon satisfac- 

 tory proof that the farmer has carried 

 out his acreage adjustment contract. 



$160 On 1,000 Bu. 



The total allotment for Illinois is 

 17,041,754 bushels. If all farmers in 

 the state came in on the plan, the 

 total cash benefits on this year's crop 

 would amount to $4,771,691. For the 

 individual grower with an average 

 production of 1,000 bushels, the 

 cash benefits would be about $160, of 

 which $108 would be paid this fall. 



As fast as applications come in 

 from growers of each community, they 

 will be checked by a community com- 

 mittee and then passed on to the coun- 

 ty office. After all the applications 

 for the county are in, there will be a 

 series of community meetings at 

 which wheat growers who filed appli- 

 cations will vote for a permanent 

 community committee of three mem- 

 bers. One of these three will be a 

 member of the board of directors of 

 the county wheat production control 

 association. This board of directors 

 will then meet and elect officers, in- 

 cluding the county allotment com- 

 mittee. This allotment committee and 

 the board of directors will be the final 

 authority on individual acreage and 

 allotments. 



(Continued on next page. Col. 2) 



