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FARM FRONT ROUNDUP 



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1945 WOOL PROGRAM — 



The 1945 wool purchase program oi 

 tile WFA which became elfective 

 Jan. 1 is essentially a continuation 

 of the marketing plan which has 

 been in effect for domestic wool 

 since April 25, 1943. WFA will en- 

 ter into agreements with established 

 wool dealers and cooperative as- 

 sociations under which they will 

 purchase, store, handle and sell do- 

 mestic wool for the account of the 

 Administration. Purchases will be 

 made at substantially the same level 

 as under previous programs — that 

 is, at prices in line with the ceiling 

 value, less allowances to cover the 

 cost of transporting and marketing 

 the wool and a service fee of l-'/s 

 cents per grease pound. In order 

 to avoid a decline in lamb prices 

 during the late months of 1945, the 

 new program will apply to domestic 

 wool offered to the WFA and ap- 

 praised by June 30, 1946. 



EGG PRICE SUPPORT — 



War Food Administrator Marvin 

 Jones announced Dec. 12, a min- 

 imum 1945 producer price of 27 

 cents per dozen for candled eggs. 

 This price will be supported by pur- 

 chases from dealers upon certifica- 

 tion that they in turn paid no less 

 than the support price to producers. 

 In areas where marketing facilities 

 for purchasing candled eggs from 

 producers cannot be made avail- 

 able, a minimum producer price o! 

 24 cents a dozen was announced. 

 In these areas the WFA will stand 

 ready to purchase eggs from farm- 

 ers at 24 cents per dozen straight- 

 run. Purchasing agents will be des- 

 ignated in all areas prior to the be- 

 ginning of heavy egg production. 



HOG PRICES OPA announced, 



effective Dec. 13, a ceiling of $14.75 

 per hundredweight, Chicago basis, 

 for ail live barrows and gilts. Ceil- 

 ing for sows, stags and boars is $14. 

 This action, OPA said, will allov/ 

 farmers to feed hogs " to heavier 

 weights without fear of a discount 

 and probably will result in more 

 even marketing. However, the Chi- 

 cago Producers, news letter of Dec. 



10 



14 points out that this order setting 

 tne top on all sows at $14 means 

 tnat lightweight sows under 270 

 pounds, heretofore eligible to the 

 celling of $14.75, cannot sell over 

 $14. 



RAISE WHEAT CEILING — 



Ceiling price of wheat was in- 

 creased effective Dec. 13, 4 cents a 

 bushel. OPA said the increase was 

 necessary to fulfill the require- 

 ments of the Stabilization Extension 

 Act of 1944. The prices established 

 by this amendmfent are calculated 

 to reflect parity to producers. 



FARM MACHINERY — Produc 



tion of farm machinery, exclusive of 

 wheel tractors, repair pxirts and at- 

 tachments, for the four months' 

 period July 1 to Oct. 31, 1944, is ap- 

 proximately 25 per cent behind man- 

 ufacturers' schedules, the Farm Ma- 

 chinery and Equipment Industry ad- 

 visory committee was informed by 

 WPB officials recently. Military re- 

 quirements, which are more cfitical 

 than they were two to three months 

 ago, are creating critical shortages 

 in components needed for farm ma- 

 chinery production, WPB officials 

 said. 



FARM SUPPLIES — According 

 to the USDA war letter for agricul- 

 ture Dec. 11, distributors of farm 

 machinery and equipment are now 

 able to obtain AA-2 preference rat- 

 ings for purchasing electric motors, 

 circular cordwood saw blades, and 

 18 other kinds of repair parts for 

 resale to dealers serving farmers, 

 the WPB has announced. 



LIVESTOCK SITUATION — 



A bureau of agricultural economics 

 report says in part: "Prices for meat 

 •animals will be maintained at or 

 above 1944 levels in 1945. Total 

 meat output in 1945 probably will 

 be at least 2 billion pounds smaller 

 than the 24.6 billion pounds indi- 

 cated for. 1944 (dressed-meat basis). 

 Prices for hogs during the present 

 hog-marketing year may average 

 higher than a year earlier. Large 

 purchases of pork by WFA and the 



armed forces, and a sharp reduc- 

 tion in hog marketings during the 

 remainder of 1944 and the first 7 

 months of 1945, will tend to hold 

 hog prices above the level of a year 

 earlier. Purchases of beef by the 

 armed forces in the first half of 1945 

 probably will be larger than in 

 the first half of 1944. 



RADIO TURES — Scarcely half 

 enough radio receiving tubes have 

 been available during the last two 

 years to replace those worn out in 

 civilian receiving sets. The shortage 

 is expected to continue until sev- 

 eral months after the defeat of Ger- 

 many and Japan, says the WPB, 

 which adds that the civilian replace- 

 ment tube shortage is due to the 

 fact that military demands increased 

 from 16 per cent of the total pro- 

 duction in 1941 to 65 per cent the 

 next year, 82 per cent in 1943, and 

 86 per cent in 1944. 



STOVES — Stove dealers and 

 distributors in most areas will be 

 granted additional ration certificates 

 to build up their stocks of oil cook- 

 ing stoves and gas heating stoves, 

 according to OPA. This does not 

 indicate any substantial improve- 

 ment in supplies. Shifts in wartime 

 population, variations in seasonal 

 demand for different types of stoves, 

 changes in fuel supply conditions, 

 make this method of redistributing 

 supplies necessary. Inventory ceil- 

 ings for oil heating and gas cooking 

 stoves remain the same. 



WFA CHANGES— The follow 



ing main changes have been made 

 by the WFA, effective Jan. 1: 

 the office of distribution, and the 

 office of production are abolished 

 and three new offices are estab- 

 lished, each to be headed by a di- 

 rector — the office of basic com- 

 modities, the office of marketing 

 services, and the office of supply. 



NEW CCC HEAD — WFA on Dec 



15, announced the designation of 

 Frank Hancock as president of the 

 Commodity Credit Corporation 



I L A. A. RECORD 



This I 



>ories 



. 'ributi 



Foods 



Blue Se 

 recomm 

 eriy ret 

 by the 

 potash ( 

 Bureau- 



ILLI 



JANUA 



