SA \/E FARM PROGRAM. . . afbf urges 



F^ AAA IS SAFEGUARD FOR POST-WAR FUTURE, THEIR BELIEF 



To COUNTERACT a growing senti- 

 ment in Congress favoring the suspen- 

 sion or junking of AAA as an un- 

 needed aid to agriculture in wartime, 

 AFBF officials went before the House 

 appropriations committee early in March 

 to urge retention of the farm program to 

 promote soil conservation now and to 

 insure an effective agricultural safeguard 

 for the uncertain postwar future. 



"The American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion," President Edward A. O'Neal told 

 the committee, "led the long fight for 

 equality for agriculture culminating in 

 the enactment of the Agricultural Adjust- 

 ment Act and allied legislation, which 

 form the basis of the so-called national 

 farm program. 



"We have defended this program 

 against its enemies and have sponsored 

 numerous measures which have been en- 

 acted to perfect this legislation. We have 

 fought aggressively for the necessary ap- 

 propriations to make this program fully 

 effective. We must now maintain this 

 basic legislation and continue to per- 

 fect it in the light of experience and 

 changing conditions." 



AFBF recommendations to the com- 

 mittee were summarized by President 

 O'Neal as follows: 



Agricultural Adjustment 

 Administration 



1. That 1300,000,000 be provided for 

 soil-building and soil and water conser- 

 vation practices for the 1944 farm pro- 

 gram, including expenses, with a similar 

 provision for 1945. (This is $10,000,000 

 more than recommended in the budget.) 



2. Because of great national impor- 

 tance of soil building and soil and water 

 conservation, we urge that every con- 

 sideration be given in the farm program 

 to obtain the maximum results in real 

 conservation. 



3. That duplication between the various 

 programs be eliminated. 



4. That all controls for all crops ex- 

 cept tobacco continue to be suspended 

 this year and the program, with this ex- 

 ception, be devoted entirely to soil build- 

 ing and soil and water conservation and 

 to encouraging maximum output of the 

 food and fiber required for the war 

 effort. 



3. That a payment be provided on a 

 bushel basis with a minimum payment 

 per acre for the production and harvest- 

 ing of seed for soil-building crops, pas- 

 tures and hay designed to produce an 

 adequate supply. 



6. Farmers now being familiar with 



these procedures, there is no need to 

 maintain large staffs of employees at Fed- 

 eral, State and county levels for purposes 

 of education and promotion. With the 

 acute manpower shortage and the enor- 

 mous volume of Federal expenditures 

 coupled with the mounting Federal debt, 

 it is vitally important to eliminate unneces- 

 sary government employees and need- 

 less expenditures in order to conserve 

 our manpower and financial resources. In 

 the interest of - economy and efficiency 

 and the conservation of manpower, and 

 in the interest of maintaining public sup- 

 port for the farm program, therefore, we 

 recommend : 



(a) That the educational, informational 

 and promotional work in connection with 

 the conservation program be assigned to 

 the agricultural Extension Services of the 

 States and counties. 



(b) That a provision be inserted in the 

 Appropriations Act prohibiting use of 

 funds for the employment of AAA of 

 "Program Specialists" and "State Com- 

 mittee field men." 



(c) That provision in the present ap- 

 propriation law prohibiting the employ- 

 ment of State and county information 

 employees, be continued and made effec- 

 tive. 



7. That a provision be inserted in the 

 Appropriations bill requiring the discon- 

 tinuance by Government employees of all 

 political activities, lobbying activities, and 

 all other activities except those specifically 

 authorized by Congress. Further, in order 

 to enforce this provision, that this Act 

 prohibit the payment of salaries to any 

 full-time employees who engage in polit- 

 ical or lobbying activities, and also pro- 

 vide additional penalties. 



8. That the AAA be directed to dis- 

 continue distribution of fertilizer, lime- 

 stone, seed and other commodities, and 

 to arrange for the distribution of these 

 commodities in connection with the grant- 

 in-aid program, through bonafide farmer 

 cooperatives and other established trade 

 channels. 



9. That the budget for administrative 

 expense be reduced proportionately to the 

 reduction in the work resulting from the 

 above and other changes in the program. 

 (AFBF pointed out that previous re- 

 trenchments ordered by Congress have 

 been made almost entirely at the county 

 and community levels without corre- 

 sponding reductions at State and national 

 levels, and that this was contrary to the 

 intent of Congress. As a result, expense 

 at the higher levels is now approximately 



one-half of that at the county and com- 

 munity levels where the real work and 

 functions of AAA are carried out). 



Reorganization of Farm Program 



The AFBF witnesses, on instructions 

 from the Board of Directors, reaffirmed 

 their recommendation for a reorganiza- 

 tion of the farm program originally 

 adopted at the 1940 Baltimore conven-, 

 tion. This resolution called for elimi- 

 nation of duplication and overlapping and 

 for the coordinating and unification of 

 AAA agencies in the hands of a five-man 

 non-partisan board within the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



Crop Insurance 



That crop insurance be reinstated on 

 wheat and cotton with provisions requir- 

 ing greater economy and improvements 

 to make this program actuarily sound 

 within a three-year period. 



Food Distribution Administration 



Expenditures of this agency are ex- 

 cessive and should be reduced to a reason- 

 able amount. 



Section 32 Funds 



We favor the use temporarily of Sec- 

 tion 32 funds to help finance the school 

 lunch program, but oppose legislation for 

 the permanent diversion of these funds 

 for this purpose. (Basic purpose of this 

 30 per cent of custom receipts allocated 

 to agriculture is to relieve agricultural 

 surpluses). 



Farm Wage Regulation 



That we oppose the appropriation for 

 this purpose and recommend provisions 

 be inserted prohibiting use of any gov- 

 ernment funds to regulate farm wages. 

 Tenant Loans and Rehabilitation 



We recommend that appropriations to 

 the extent of justifiable need be provided 

 for the fiscal year 1945 for the continu- 

 ation of farm tenant loans and rural re- 

 habilitation loans, pending the enact- 

 ment of legislation reorganizing the en- 

 tire farm credit structure, including both 

 cooperative credit and direct goverriment 

 loans. 



We believe that provisions should be 

 made to effect further savings in adminis- 

 trative costs, eliminate unnecessary offices 

 and personnel, and get rid of bureaucratic 

 regimentation of clients. 



We recommend that the Committee in- 

 sert in the appropriation the same limita- 

 tions as last year to prevent the use of 

 these funds for promoting collective 

 farming, cooperative farming, land col- 

 onies, cooperative loans, or purchase of 

 stock in cooperative or membership in 

 farm organizations. 



! LA. A. RECORD 



