Farmers Face Adjustments 



Tha Rev. Roy Freeman Jenney (left) of the 

 Bryn Mawr Community Church, Chicago, ad- 

 dreste* the convention. Eighty-six-year-old 

 former lAA President Sam Thompson speaks 

 to the delegates. 



doorway to destruction or on the 

 threshold of one of the greatest eras 

 mankind has ever known. Scientists 

 know enough to be afraid, he said, be- 

 cause they are aware of the material 

 and ethical values which are in danger 

 of being obliterated because we fail 

 to put moral mastery over released 

 power. 



"It is a truth," he said, "that the 

 world is not in its present perilous 

 plight because it is wanting in action, 

 the world is disintegrating because of 

 want of character, of men and women 

 of inner integrity. 



"In a time when the world is becom- 

 ing smaller day by day geographically, 

 the world must become larger and bet- 

 ter politically, economically, morally 

 and spiritually. . . We should never 

 appease any group or nation, but we 

 will ever compromise our diflferences 

 in the interest and well being of all." 



Terms of lAA directors from the 

 odd-numbered districts expired at the 

 1946 annual meeting. Four new di- 

 rectors were elected: Earl M. Hughes, 

 Woodstock, in the 1st to 11th districts, 

 succeeding Harvey M. Adair, Chicago 

 Heights; Edwin Gumm, Galesburg, in 

 the 15th district, succeeding Ronald 

 Holt, Galva; E. T. Culnan, Lincoln, in 

 the 17th district, succeeding Charles 

 Lauritzen, Reddick, and Albert Webb, 

 Ewing, in the 25th district, succeeding 

 August G. Eggerding, Red Bud. 



The four remaining incumbent di- 

 rectors from the odd-numbered dis- 

 tricts who were re-elected: Homer 

 Curtiss, Stockton, 13th; Milton War- 

 ren, Mansfield, 19th; D. L. Clarke, 

 New Berlin, 21st, and Chester McCord, 

 Newton, 23rd. 



These directors are elected for two- 

 year terms. Directors' terms in the 

 even-numbered Congressional districts 

 will expire at the next annual meeting 

 in 1947. 



Re-elected for one-year terms were 

 President Charles B. Shuman, Sullivan, 

 and Vice-President F. E. Morris, Buf- 

 falo. 



WHEN Congress convenes in January, 

 there will be a number of major 

 issues at stake as far as farmers are con- 

 cerned, speakers at the public relations 

 conference of the 32na lAA annual 

 meeting reported. 



First will be the carrying out of the 

 Steagall amendment which provides for 

 support prices on agricultural commodi- 

 ties of 90 per cent of parity for a two- 

 year period following the oflFicial termi- 

 nation of the war. As the Record goes 

 to press, the oflFicial announcement of the 

 termination of war has not been declared 

 by the President, and the two-year support 

 period starts with the first of the year, 

 after the official pronouncement is made. 

 If the announcement comes after Jan. 1, 

 1947, the two year period would start on 



PresMent Edward O'Neal (right) of the 

 American Farm Bureau Federcrtien is Inter- 

 viewed en stcrtlen WLS by Art Page during 

 the lAA convention in Chicago. 



Jan. 1, 1948 and run through 1950. 



In maintaining this support program, 

 lAA President Charles B. Shuman 

 pointed out that if market prices drop 

 below the 90 per cent parity figure, the 



government will be faced with several 

 means of bolstering prices. It is probable 

 that a government purchase and loan 

 program would be used. 



Of equal if not greater concern to 

 farmers. President Shuman said, is the 

 adoption by government of a sound, 

 long-term farm program to follow the 

 two-year period of the Steagall amend- 

 ment. 



lAA Past President Earl C. Smith dis- 

 cussed some of the features of a long- 

 term farm program and suggested that a 

 support feature of such a program 

 might be based on 75 per cent of par- 

 ity. Such a support would allow a 

 free play of supply and demand and 

 could be justified in the public interest. 

 Farmers, of course, would still seek a 

 goal of parity in the market place. 



Another important issue due to be 

 discussed in the coming session of Con- 

 gress is the national fertilizer program 

 proposed by the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation. Donald Kirkpatrick, lAA 

 and AFBF general counsel, stressed the 

 importance to farmers of having in- 

 creased supplies of high analysis mineral 

 fertilizer, particularly phosphorus and 

 potash. 



Farmers are removing from the soils 

 through crops and erosion much greater 

 quantities of soil nutrients than are re- 

 turned to them. This practice cannot 

 continue. The people of the nation 

 should have assurance that they will al- 

 ways have an abundant supply of nu- 

 tritious food. Farmers will do this pro- 

 vided they have access to adequate sup- 

 plies of mineral fertilizers of the proper 

 kind and character and in greatly in- 

 creased quantities. 



Among the problems at the state level 

 (Continued on page }9) 



lAA Post President Earl C. Smith addresses the Public Relations conference presided over 



by K. T. Smith, lAA director from Greene county (left). At right is Charles Mayfield, 



director of the lAA Department of Rood Improvement. 



DECEMBER. 1946 



