EDITORIAL 



Farm Planks 



IN this issue of the RECORD is published the recommen- 

 dations of the American Farm Bureau Federation which 

 were presented to the RepubHcan Party, and the Agricul- 

 tural Plank adopted by the party at its National Convention 

 on June 27. Commenting upon the acceptibility of the 

 plank to organized farmers, president Earl C. Smith said 

 that it was -satisfactory. He said that "If literally inter- 

 preted and sympathetically put into action it would be 

 adequate to meet the farm situation." 



The RECORD goes to press July 10. The Democratic 

 National Convention convenes July 19. It is hoped that 

 the Democratic Party at its national convention will adopt 

 an agricultural plank which embodies the recommendations 

 of the American Farm Bureau Federation. 



"Greedy Grasping Fanners" 



HOG producers have just gone through a marketing sea- 

 son which left much to be desired. They expanded 



their operations or went into the business of producing 

 pork at the request of their government and with the under- 

 standing that their government would stand back of them 

 in eflFectively supporting a floor price of $13.75 a hundred, 

 Chicago basis, on good and choice butcher hogs within the 

 .weight range of 200 to 270 pounds, later 180-270. 



What has transpired during the past marketing season 

 is history. That it was a period of exploitation of hog 

 producers there can be no doubt. That government offi- 

 cials failed to make necessary provisions for handling the 

 huge numbers of hogs they asked to be produced, there can 

 be no doubt. When the markets became glutted and prac- 

 tices grew up overnight which cost hog producers millions 

 of dollars, no drastic measures were taken by the govern- 

 ment to correct the situation, which placed the government 

 in the unsavory position of giving tacit approval to 

 what any informed person recognizes as a flagrant circum- 

 vention of the principles and purposes of existing law. 



Shortage of labor — insufficient processing capacity — 

 insufficient storage room — these are some of the attempted 

 excuses by both government officials and processors but 

 are they excuses on which any kind of a case can be built 

 or do they justify certain practices which developed in the 

 hog market.' 



Assuming these excuses have some merit, farmers 

 wonder why available processing and storage capacity was 

 not first used for hogs within the government support 

 weights rather than leaving choice hogs in the pens to 

 shrink and in many cases die, while hogs outside of govern- 

 ment weights were purchased at indefensibly low prices. 



Farmers know what labor shortages mean- — they 

 know what insufficient equipment means — and they know 

 what it means to get a job done! 



If the present processing facilties were not sufficient 

 to handle the 121 million head of hogs the government 

 asked the farmers to produce, steps should have been taken 

 to provide the additional needed facilities — just as plants 

 have been provided to produce the munitions and other 

 implements of war throughout the nation. Hog producers 

 have taken their losses in stride and with their chins up 

 — they know we have a war to win — there have been no 

 strikes. But they do see red when they hear and read in- 

 sinuations — - some coming from government officials — 

 to the effect that the hog situation is a result of the greedy. 



grasping corn-hog farmers' inordinate desire for profit. 

 Facts do not justify such statements and conclusions. The 

 truth is that corn and hog farmers were doing their best 

 to meet goals set by official authority. Here are the facts: 



In 1941 — 71,397,000 hogs were slaughtered. In 

 September 1941, Secretary Wickard asked for increase irt 

 production to 79,300,000. In January 1942, he increased 

 the call to 83,000,000. The 1942 slaughter was approxi- 

 mately 78,000,000. The hog slaughter goal for 1943 was 

 set at 97,000,000. The actual slaughter was 95,273,000. 

 In November of 1942, the Secretary of Agricultitte set the 

 goal of 1943 at 121,000,000 head. The actual pig crop 

 in 1943 was 122,000,000. 



It should be noted that over the past two year period 

 total hogs produced actually falls short of the goals set by 

 the officials at Washington by almost a million head. 



Hog producers were asked to produce — they did 

 produce and they want the public to know the facts and let 

 the chips fall where they may! 



Please Pass The Pie 



{Reprinted from the Illinois Fruit Exchange News) 



BUDDY, our ten year old son, is eating his noon lunch 

 at the school cafeteria this year. It's a new experience 

 for him, and he is enjoying the privilege of selecting his 

 own food. Each evening with considerable enthusiasm he 

 tells us what he had for lunch, and how good it was. Al- 

 most invariably he has had at least two desserts. Generally 

 this fact somewhat chagrins him because he is trying to use 

 good judgment, and he knows a little about balancing a 

 meal. He intends having only one dessert, but somehow 

 or other that second one often slips in. Sometimes he mis- 

 takes it for a salad, sometimes he forgets, and I guess some- 

 times it just looks too good to resist. 



A great many of us in the "Cooperative Family" are 

 having the same trouble. We keep our eyes so intently 

 on the desserts that we overlook the everyday things that 

 are so essential to a strong healthy, vital organization. The 

 man who purchases only those things through his coopera- 

 tive which he can get cheaper than from any other source 

 is a dessert eater. The man who uses his cooperative only 

 to get someone else to pay him a dime more for his apples 

 is a dessert eater. The man who uses his cooperative only 

 to obtain hard-to-get materials and gives someone else the 

 remainder of his business is a dessert eater. Yes, the Farm 

 Bureau member who cares nothing about the Farm Bureau 

 except to get cheap automobile insurance is a dessert eater. 

 There are many other examples, but perhaps these few 

 are sufficient to get over the general idea. 



The cooperative system in Illinois offers a well 

 rounded balanced program. Some very tasty desserts are 

 included. Patronage dividends, equitable prices and spe- 

 cial services are in that class. Fine as those things are, how- 

 ever, they do not make up the entire strength of the pro- 

 gram. The real "bread, meat and potatoes" will be found 

 in the broader objectives leading toward a stronger agri- 

 culture with a fairer share of the national income, and the 

 opportunity for a better farm life. To reach that goal every 

 cooperative must build solidly. It is doing this with the 

 day by day cooperation of many members. The occasional 

 man who speaks up only to say please pass the pie, might 

 be having a good time for the moment, but he doesn't add 

 much strength — and he sure is hard on the pie. 



A FIRE l^ 

 l^V LIFE. 



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