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FARM LABOR MET THE EMERGENCY 
Just one year ago the predictions about the farm 
labor supply were dark and gloomy. Many a man 
listened to the need for more acreage in more 
crops and said to himself, “Sure, but who’s going 
to do the work?’ . . . Harvest is over, and much 
to the surprise of lots of folks, there was practi- 
cally no loss of crops from lack of labor. 
The chief reason for this is ORGANIZATION. 
County Agents and state authorities were organ- 
ized into a great emergency labor group. Early 
in the year they surveyed their needs, and set out 
to get the labor to fill them. The potato program 
in Potter County was an excellent example of in- 
telligent planting and co-operation. Because of the 
potato shortage, of the 29 tractors allotted to Penn- 
sylvania, 13 went to Potter County, which had 
offered to grow 2,000,000 bushels if proper equip- 
ment was available. Labor was organized into 
groups. There were, for instance, 15 land fitting 
groups which went from farm to farm plowing 
and harrowing. 2,500 acres of land—a job that 
ordinarily would have taken many times the equip- 
ment and manpower—were handled quickly by 
these groups. They were followed by planting 
groups, and still later by sprayer groups. Last 
came the digger groups to harvest one of the 
biggest potato crops Potter County ever had, 
2,150,000 bushels with a value of $2,700,000. It 
is estimated that this grouping probably saved 
over 200 steady farm workers, and did the job 
with a fraction of equipment ordinarily used. At 
the same time, Potter County farm operators found 
time to increase dairy herds by 15%, double 
poultry production, up hog production by 500%, 
and increase beef and veal by 35%. (The small 
picture on opposite page shows the allotted equip- 
ment in Coudersport during organization day.) 
During 1943 the Pennsylvania authorities re- 
cruited over 50,000 workers, and out of these vol- 
unteers 1,200 stayed on the job to become year- 
round farm workers. Practically all of this—as in 
other states too—was local volunteer help. Each 
county attempted to take care of its own situation, 
To get a big job done, ‘everybody works on the Loy. 
farm (Perry County, Pa.). Here is the milking group 

_ doing its part while other member: 

SY elsewhere. 


r 
group of laborers was imported, sor 
states—some from Jamaica—to | 
crop. es 
but in emergencies labor was moved from county 
to county. Thus a bus load of workers was sent 
from Allegheny to Mercer County for seasonal 
work and two-thirds of them stayed all summer. 
S00 workers went up to New York State to help 
with the heavy bean crop. Another large group 
went to New Jersey to help with tomatoes and 
when this season was over New Jersey volunteers 
moved across to help Pennsylvania farmers. 
Three tremendous benefits were noted from this 
emergency help program. The man who could 
foresee a labor shortage when his crop was com- 
ing in could phone his County Agent—saving 
countless hours of looking for men he needed. 
Uniformity of payment meant there was no com- 
petition in wages. The practice of waiting till 
somebody else gathered a crew and then hiring 
them away from him at 5 cents an hour more was 
conspicuous by its absence. 
And the volunteer labor turned out to be sur- 
prisingly productive. At the rates normally paid 
itinerant harvesters, the volunteer boys and girls 
made better wages than were being offered in 
war plants—which meant they got in the crops 
while they were in prime condition. For the Frank- 
lin County apple crop, at regular 12 cents per 
bushel pay, boys were clearing $45 to $48 a week 
after paying board and all travelling expenses. 
That's the story for 1943. With a year’s experi- 
ence, the story for 1944 will be equal or better. 
If you need help, get in touch with your County 
Agent. He may not be the man who actually 
handles it, but he knows who to contact to get 
you what you need. You might study that Potter 
County arrangement for use in your area, too. 
kok * 
CAHOON SEEDERS AGAIN AVAILABLE 
Speeds up hand sowing of grain and grass. Useful on 
rough, steep land, and soil too soft for tractor. Send 
us your order. We again have these popular seeders. 
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