Show Low Farm Returns Concern Bureau Head Concern over the worsening cost price squeeze on farmers was expressed by the t of oC the Utah I Farm arm Bureau Fed oration upon his return from a meeting of oC a national dairy group In Chicago ELMO W HAMILTON of oC lily orton orlon Is a member of oC a twelve man committee making up th the e National Dairy Advisory Con Com mitlee of oC the American Farm Bureau Federation meeting las last t week nt at the Pick Congress H Hotel tel in Chicago JIll Mr Hamil ton whose committee and others represent mem- mem member ber families who account for about 70 per cent of oC the food commodities moving to market farm prices a and nd rising product ion costs have created an extremely serious situation Inthe in inthe the farm economy with far reaching Implications to con Mr 11 Hamilton noted that Farms Farm prices have declined 74 per cent since mid August 1966 and the drop of 1 per cent during the month ending Feb 15 was the sixth con cone e mont monthly price decline reported by the U S Depart Depart- Department ment of oC Agriculture FEBRUARY FARM product product- production ion costs showed a decline of oC om third one third of one per cent from Crom the record high in January but were still Mill three per cent over overa a year ago Thus the I parity ratio which reflects the relationship ber be tween the prices received by farmers armel's and the eo cost t of things they buy for fot production dropped to 74 per cent as compared with 82 per cent in mid February a year ear ago ngo FARMERS RS AR ARE E concerned over Ovel the steady tie dc in farm prices but butare are arc even more dismayed over o skyrocketing production SOS ses which they attribute to in creasing labor costs stimulated by fiscal recklessness on the part of oC the Administration At the recent farm policy conference in Washington Pres ident Johnson acknowledged that farmers are arc caught in a bind between higher product product- production ion costs and stable or 0 lower ing prices for their farm com com- commodities com However ho he gave no indication that the Adminis Adminis- Administration planned a change in its Inflationary guns and butter policy FARMERS ALSO recall that it was just about a year ago that the Administration tried to snake make farmers the whipping boy for inflation generated by its own spending policies At that time lime President Johnson advised housewives es to sharpen sharpen their pencils and not noL buy priced high items The Ad Ad- Ad Administration ministration sought sO a series of executive actions including the dumping of oC government surplus b backs in certain food purchased for the armed forces and im im- im imposition position of quotas on hide lX ex ports It IL Is now nos apparent that the Administration has been suc suc- suc successful in holdi holding ng down farm arm prices hut but it is equally lIy dea clear l that price declines at the farm have not Dot been reflected to any great r at extent in consumer prices |