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FARM FRONT ROUNDUP 



DRAFT FORMS— A11 farmers 

 emd farm laborers subject to the 

 draft are being required to fill out a 

 new agricultural deferment form 

 and file it with the selective service 

 board. The new form is AQ44, 

 which replaces the old form 40 IB 

 used last year to list agricultural 

 production units per man on the 

 farm. The new forms will be mailed 

 to registrants as soon as they are 

 available to the selective service 

 boards. 



DRAn MEETINGS — Ten re 



gional meetings of draft boards and 

 USDA war boards to discuss agricul- 

 tural deferments were held in Il- 

 linois from March 21 through April 

 5. The meetings were called by 

 Col. Paul G. Armstrong, state direc- 

 tor of Selective Service. 



FARM UNITS a so per cent in- 

 crease in the unit value of soybeans 

 and an 18 per cent decrease in the" 

 unit value of corn for selective serv- 

 ice deferment purposes has been 

 authorized by selective service offi- 

 cials. The unit value on corn has 

 been changed from .22 units per 

 acre to .18 units per acre. The unit 

 value on soybeans has been 

 changed from .08 to .12 units per 

 acre. 



SOYBEAN PRICES — in order 

 to insure greater production of soy- 

 beans, OPA has announced that the 

 support price on the 1944 crop will 

 be on the basis of $2.04 for No. 2 

 beans with moisture content not ex- 

 ceeding 14 per cent. This is a 10- 

 cent increase over the previously 

 announced support price. A ceiling 

 price also has been set on 1943 

 beans on the basis of $1.86 for No. 

 2, 14 per cent moisture beans. The 

 ceiling for the 1942 crop remains at 

 $1.66 per bushel. Soybeans sold 

 for seed for the 1944 crop, or for 

 human consumption, or exported, 

 are not covered by the new ceiling. 



SOYBEAN DECREASES — ac 



cording to a March report of the 

 USDA, in Illinois, the largest produc- 

 ing soybean state, farmers' 1944 



plans indicate a decrease of 3 per 

 cent from the soybean acreage 

 planted last year. Iowa plans an in- 

 crease of about 10 per cent over lost 

 year, Indiana I per cent, and Ohio 

 4 per cent. Farmers in the North 

 Central states, where about 78 per 

 cent of the total soybean acreage is 

 grown, expect to plant 11,391,000 

 acres, an increase of less than 1 per 

 cent over last year. 



MILK PRICES — W FA an- 



nounced March 21 that it has sus- 

 pended portions of the federal milk 

 marketing orders which would have 

 decreased producer returns for Class 

 I fluid milk in the Chicago milkshed 

 during the spring and summer 

 months. The portion of the Chicago 

 order which WFA suspended called 

 for a drop of 20 cents a hundred- 

 weight during May and June. 



DAIRY SURSIDIES — increase 

 in subsidy rates in the "dairy feed 

 payment program" has been an- 

 nounced by the WFA to cover the 

 months of March and April. The 

 new rate for whole milk is 50 cents 

 per 100 pounds, a boost of 15 cents, 

 and 8 cents per pound of butterfat, 

 a raise of 3 cents. 



FARM SLAUGHTERING — 



WFA has extended indefinitely the 

 period in which farmers can slaugh- 

 ter hogs and deliver pork to others 

 without a permit or license. Ration 

 points still have to be collected. 

 WFA's restrictions on farm slaughter 

 of hogs and delivery of pork were 

 first suspended for 3 months from 

 Nov. 17, 1943 to Feb. 17, 1944. This 

 period was then extended to March 

 17. Amendment 12 to Food Dis- 

 tribution Order No. 75, places no 

 termination date on the suspension. 



HOG SUPPORT PRICES — 



WFA announced March 18 that from 

 April 15 to Oct. 1, the hog support 

 price of $13.75 Chicago would ap- 

 ply only to hogs weighing 200 to 

 270 pounds. The price support is 

 scheduled to drop to $12.50 on Oct. 

 1, and will apply only to hogs 

 weighing 200 to 240 pounds. 



GASOLINE COUPONS —starting 

 April I, five-gallon "R" coupons is- 

 sued to farmers and other non-high- 

 way users will not be valid for buy- 

 ing gasoline at filling stations or oth- 

 er retail establishments. This means 

 that after April I only those who 

 buy their gasoline at bulk plants or 

 authorized stations, or who hove 

 gasoline delivered into storage 

 tanks on their own premises will use 

 the "R" coupons. Non-highway 

 users who get their gasoline at other 

 retail outlets will use the one-gallon 

 "E" coupons. Users of "E" and 

 "R" coupons will be required to en- 

 dorse the coupons. The name and 

 address need be written only once 

 on each strip or block turned in as 

 a unit. Coupons presented separate- 

 ly have to be endorsed separately. 



A GAS COUPONS — The eght A- 

 1 1 gasoline coupons which became 

 valid March 22 will still be worth 

 three gallons each, but the period 

 they cover has been extended un- 

 til June 21 instead of May 21, ac- 

 cording to OPA. 



FARM TRANSPORTATION — 



Hauling of farm products and sup- 

 plies this year will present critical 

 problems, reports the WFA. Farm- 

 ers ore urged to keep their trucks, 

 pickups, trailers and automobiles 

 going by rigid maintenance of en- 

 gines, transmissions and axle assem- 

 blies. Rubber tires will be one of 

 the tight spots, not only for hauling 

 vehicles, but also for tractors and 

 other farm equipment. Recapping 

 of tires must be -employed extensive- 

 ly, WFA says. 



NEW CAR ELIGIBILITY — 



OPA has issued three .new rules on 

 eligibility for new cars: (1) Raised 

 from 40,000 to 60,000 miles the mini- 

 mum milage an applicant's present 

 car must have been driven before 

 it can be considered unserviceable, 

 (2) Made salesmen ineligible for 

 new cars, and (3) Requested local 

 boards to issue a purchase permit 

 for a new car only to an applicant 

 showing on immediate need for one. 



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I. A. A. RECORD 



