TRIAL CORN insurance programs on field com hgive 

 been latmched in 14 representative corn-producing 

 counties in the nation by the Federal Crop Insurance 

 Corporation. In Illinois the trial county is Vermilion. 

 Choice of two plans is offered. One plan follows the 

 pattern of the national insurance programs now in effect 

 on wheat, cotton and flax, with individual farmers mak- 

 ing a selection of 50 or 75 per cent of average yield 

 insured. The other provides "investment" protection or 

 "cash" insurance, with coverage not to exceed 75 per 

 cent of production costs. Applications will be taken by 

 the AAA office and authorized agents and must be 

 filed before planting but not later than May 1, 1945. 

 Protection will cover virtually all unavoidable hazards 

 to growing corn. 



MORE WAR PRISONER labor is promised to farm- 

 ers for 1945 production by the WFA. WFA Adminis- 

 trator has appealed to farmers to plant the full crop 

 acreage called for in this year's goals, and has renewed 

 his pledge of WFA's full cooperation in obtaining the 

 labor needed for cultivating and harvesting all crops 

 planted. 



MILK PRODUCTION on farms in 1944 amounted to 

 119.2 billion pounds as compared to 118.1 billion in 

 1943 and 103.6 billion for the 1935-39 average. Cream- 

 ery butter amounted to 1,486 million pounds in 1944, 

 compared with 1673 million in 1943, and 1691 million 

 for the average. Cheese production was 800 million 

 pounds in 1944, compared with 765 million in 1943 and 

 509 million for the average. Evaporated and condensed 

 milk output was 3757 million pounds in 1944 compared 

 with 3352 million in 1943 and 2225 million for the av- 

 erage. 



PLANS TO INCREASE subsidy paid to cattle 

 slaughterers have been announced by OPA Adminis- 

 trator Chester Bowles. The additional subsidy will be 

 based on the amounts pcrid by the slaughterers for live 

 cattle. It will be figured on the basis of the amount 

 paid by the individual slaughterer in excess of the floor 

 established for live cattle prices and will reach a maxi- 

 mum of 50 cents a hundredweight when the slaughterer 

 pays ceiling prices for cattle. 



CCC HAS requests to export about 140 million bush- 

 els of wheat and flour for the armed services, lend- 

 lease, and UNRRA between now and Aug. 1. CCC 

 currently owns about 65 million bushels of wheat and 

 has about 150 million bushels under loan, most of which 

 may be available for export. 



INCREASED CROP ACREAGE is planned by Illinois 

 farmers in 1945 according to a late March report of the 

 state-federal agricultural departments. The report shows 

 that farmers of the state intend to increase their plant- 



ings by 200,000 acres this year. Indicated acreage on 

 com is 3 per cent under 1944 but 7 per cent larger than 

 the 10 year (1934-43) average. Soybeans for all pur- 

 poses will be up 3 per cent over 1944. Oats acreage is 

 up 12 per cent over 1944. Winter wheat sown last fall 

 shows a 12 per cent increase over the previous period. 



FARMERS WHO FEED imported workers may get 

 allotments of rationed foods for them by applying to 

 the local rationing board. Such allotments are limited 

 to a period of two months, and additional applications 

 may be made for each period. 



AFBF BOARD of directors has adopted a resolution 

 calling for legislation empowering the federal govern- 

 ment to set up plants for producing potash, nitrogen 

 and phosphorus fertilizer. Prepared by a committee 

 composed of President Edward A. O'Neal, Secretary 

 R. B. Corbett and Donald Kirkpatrick, general counsel, 

 the resolution asks that a national fertilizer program be 

 centered in the department of agriculture under super- 

 vision of the Secretary of Agriculture. Farm Bureau 

 officials are at work preparing a bill to be introduced in 

 Congress to authorize such a program. Under the pro- 

 posed plan, the government would build and operate 

 the fertilizer plants but would turn them over to farmer 

 cooperatives at fair appraised value at the end of five 

 years. i . , 



FARM CENSUS is one-third completed, USDA officials 

 report. However, the census is running behind schedule 

 in some areas because of difficulties encountered in 

 recruiting an adequate staff of enumerators in some 

 sections. On March 10, 36 per cent of the more than 

 6 million farms enumerated in 1940 had been covered. 



SMALLER SPRING lamb crop is reported for the fourth 

 year in succession, with the reduction in 1945 early 

 crop estimated at about 6 per cent. The early lamb 

 crop this year will be the smallest in the present decade. 



GOVERNMENT EFFORTS to improve medical and 

 hospital care for rural people have the support of the 

 Form Bureau, the Senate committee on education and 

 labor was told March 14. Mrs. Roy C. F. Weagley, 

 Maryland, president of the Associated Women of the 

 AFBF, and W. R. Ogg, director of the AFBF's Washing- 

 ton office, presented the Farm Bureau's views at a 

 hearing in cormection with the proposed Hill-Burton Bill 

 which seeks to better rural health facilities. . , 



HOME CANNING SUGAR program for 1945 will 

 provide a maximum allowance of 20 pounds as com- 

 pared with 25 pounds last year, according to the OPA. 

 Officials of the OPA say that lower sugar stocks and 

 increased military requirements are responsible for 

 stricter distibution 





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