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FARM FRONT ROUNDUP 



VEGETABLE SUPPORT PRICES 



— Because of increased military re- 

 quirements, the national goal for 

 processing vegetables in 1945 has 

 been increased. Goals for the in- 

 dividual crops vary by states and 

 areas, but nationally, for the four 

 major vegetables, they are these 

 percentages of 1944 planted acre- 

 ages: snap beans, 98 per cent; green 

 peas, 108 per cent; sweet corn, 105 

 per cent, and tomatoes, 110 per cent. 

 As in past years, growers may be 

 assured of the minimum support 

 prices on one or more of the 4 vege- 

 tables only by entering into contract 

 agreements with conners. Canners 

 participating in the program will be 

 certified by state AAA committees. 

 Grower support prices for Illinois are 

 as follows: tomatoes for cannifig, 

 $24 per ton; sweet corn for copning, 

 $19 per ton; snap beans for canning, 

 (schedule recommended) range from 

 $105 to $60 per ton for four varieties: 

 green peas, $85 per ton. 



FINAL CROP FIGURES — 



Farmers turned out total crops last 

 year 24 per cent above the ten 

 year 1923-32 or pre-drought aver- 

 age, 6 per cent larger than 1943, 

 and 1 1 per cent more than in any 

 other year save that peak in 1942. 



FARM PRODUCTS DEMAND — 



In its latest price and demand situ- 

 ation report, BAE says that demand 

 for farm products is likely to con- 

 tinue at present wartime levels 

 throughout most of 1945. Regardless 

 of the course of the war the demand 

 for farm products, at ceiling prices, 

 may continue to exceed supplies in 

 1945. 



WHEAT INSURANCE — Crop 



insurance, assuring production re- 

 turns up to 75 per cent of average 

 yields will be available on 1945 

 spring wheat crops through county 

 AAA offices. Two contracts will be 

 available — one covering up to 75 

 per cent of average yields and the 

 other up to 50 per cent. Both con- 

 tracts will be for three years, with 



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premium payments on on ctimual 

 basis through cash or premium 

 notes. In order for crop insurance 

 to be available in a county, appli- 

 cations must be made covering 50 

 farms in the county or one-third of 

 the farmers producing insured crops 

 in the county, whichever is less. 



FLAX INSURANCE — Cropm 



surance on flax, which is being of- 

 fered in 1945 for the first time, will 

 enable producers to assure produc- 

 tion returns from their 1945 flaxseed 

 crops up to 75 per cent of average 

 yields. 



FARM DEBTS — Farm mortgage 

 debt of the country is the lowest in 

 30 years. Much of the reduction is 

 due to repayments on loans made 

 through the Federal land bank sys- 

 tem. The volume of land bank and 

 Commissioner loans made in 1944 

 was the largest since 1936, totalling 

 $105,292,000, but for every dollar 

 borrowed more than 3^2 dollars was 

 repaid on loans made in prior years. 



SOYBEANS FOR OIL — Soy 



bean processors can pay producers 

 up to $2.10 a bushel for U.S. No. 2 

 green and yellow soybeans of 14 

 per cent moisture content, under a 

 new OPA regulation. This ceiling, 

 which applies to 1944-crop soybeans 

 marketed" 'after Jan. 27, is 6 cents 

 above the support price. The new 

 regulation allows country elevators 

 a mark-up of 5 cents a bushel for 

 handling. It allows merchandisers 

 a mark-up of 2i/2 cents a bushel if 

 they unload at a terminal market 

 and 1 cent in all other cases, accord- 

 ing to the state AAA committee. 



SHIPPING CONTAINERS — 



Shippers and growers of fresh fruits 

 and vegetables are warned by the 

 WFA that if production of these 

 agricultural commodities is as large 

 as expected this year, they again 

 will have to take special measures 

 to assure themselves of adequate 

 container supplies. Looking at the 

 wooden container picture as a 

 whole, officials say these items will 



be considerably short of new con- 

 tainer requirements for 1945. The 

 situation on fiber boxes and pack- 

 ages is somewhat the same. WFA 

 recommends placing orders as far 

 as possible in advance and the sal- 

 vaging of containers for re-use. 



SUGAR SUPPLIES — According 

 to present estimates, OPA says there 

 won't be as' much sugar to meet 

 1945 civilian needs as was used in 

 1944. Present stocks are low. Gov- 

 ernment needs will be higher, and 

 shipping and man power limit an in- 

 crease in supply. OPA announces 

 that ration coupons for no more than 

 700,000 tons can be issued for home 

 canning in the 1945 season. OPA 

 feels that with this amount house- 

 wives will be able to can as much 

 as they did in 1944. 



LABOR SUPPLY Five hundred 



Mexican nationals and 1000 Jamai- 

 cans will help harvest Illinois food 

 crops this year, according to plans 

 revealed by P. E. Johnston, in charge 

 of the agricultural extension serv- 

 ice farm labor program for Illinois. 



LEND-LEASE — WFA has an- 

 nounced that deliveries of food and 

 other agricultural products for ship- 

 ment to the Allies under lend-lease 

 during 1944 totaled 7 billion 272 

 million pounds compared with 1943 

 deliveries of 11 billion 488 million 

 pounds. Meat and meat products 

 led deliveries for the year with 2 bil- 

 lion 268 million pounds, followed by 

 dairy products totalling 1 billion 371 

 million pounds and grains and ce- 

 reals totaling 1 billion 324 million 

 pounds. 



The European war is expensive, but every- 

 thing in the Pacific war will cost more. To 

 support the same sized task force, it will 

 take twice as many ships. We'll need more 

 Superfortresses that cost $600,000 each — 

 more tanks with bulldozer blades that cost 

 $67,417 each — more of everything. This 

 amphibious war in the Pacific takes tremen- 

 dous amounts of equipment. To supply our 

 fighting men with these weapons, we must 

 buy more War Bonds than ever before. 



Terraces can be successfully constructed 

 with an ordinary two or three bottom trac- 

 tor plow. 



L A. A. RECORD 



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MARC 



