Show american farmers to continue high production n goals in satisfying demands of entire world word peacetime need for products assures farmers of good market and price what will the impact of wars end mean to american agriculture that T at question has been raised with increasing frequency ever since accepted president tru mans unconditional surrender terms and the jap hordes have laid down their arms it has brought iri in its train other questions will it a farm slum occur will continued vast production smash prices will transition to peacetime schedules upset farm economy three fairly answers have emerged and each is reassuring to everyone who lives on or near a 1 farm arm 1 demand for foods fibers and oils will c continue 0 to require a high rate of farm production the world must eat cat and american farmers must feed it 2 farm prices will not be deflated the government has already guaranteed the farmer support prices tor for many of his products for one or two henrs after the war 3 the farmer unlike industry ia not faced with problems ills ilia job la Is growing crops and he needs no different set of tools to accomplish his objectives all of these factors eliminate the possibility of a sudden crash in farm income farm economists arc agreed there will be no immediate cutback in production despite the end of the war in the months to come domestic and military needs of the united states plus the relief demands from liberated areas in europe and the pacific will take all the food this nation can produce k with vast argas areas of europe eu rop e and ad asia laid waste american farmers will be called on to produce and keep on producing it may be years before the ravaged countries can come back anywhere near to normal in the meantime american farmers have a big job ahead to ao help keep whole continents alive and healthy during this same time the united states itself must be led fed As demobilization of our armed forces proceeds there will I 1 be less need for the various services to have great stocks of food in reserve that will tend to increase civilian supplied PI led as well as permit better distribution trib ution A no major 0 r farm surplus gui plus U with industrial getting the green light the dislocation of workers caused by war contract cutbacks may be of much shorter duration than has been anticipated that means more peacetime civilian jobs one thing the war demonstrated was that it the entire nation is at work there is no major form farm surplus problem the greatest crops in history have been produced during the war the record year was 1942 next was 1944 and indications ore are that this year will exceed 1043 so that 1045 may be the third best credit for this epic achievement must go to the nations farmers but the cont contribution rIb ution althe of the fertilizer industry should not not be overlooked ag ri cultural authorities estimate that more than 20 per cent of the crop production in the war years has been be on due to the use of fertilizers the uso ot of plant foods has been of essential Cn ifill importance to the food production program because it has enabled farmers to produce bigger crops on oil existing acres instead of I 1 having to plow up millions of acres of additional form farm land the saving in labor equipment and man hours has been enormous farm F arm income during recent years has passed the peaks reached during and immediately immediate I 1 y after world 1 1 17 V j I 1 n 41 the aar production af garden crops reached a new high the demand will continue for some time mcw varieties improved soil fertilization and now equipment will aid the farmer in repeating his record production of I 1 these crops war I 1 prices are now near or above parity even if prices should come down to government support levels a drop of perhaps 15 per cent below present peaks farm purchasing power will be enormous dus the former has a higher amount to 3 spend pond out of his income than other wage earners for the reason that less of his income Is required for rent food and fuel than Is the case with city dwellers six million farm families comprising approximately 30 million people having a gross income in excess of 20 billion dollars a year will be a factor of tremendous s importance to americas peacetime economy farmer in strong rosi position tion just as significant as agricultures agri cultures high income rate in recent years is the fact that the farmer has been laying aside a good portion of his savings in war bonds to spend for 03 essentials senti als in years to come clearly the farmer has emerged from the war in a stronger position than ape e was vas atias start to ro maintain that position the f farmer armer should do some straight thinking and planning two things ore are especially important I 1 he should avoid through the purchase of additional land in the peace years ahead 2 he should make immediate plans to repair the damage to his soils fertility lovel level which the vast war crop production quotas have caused the experience of the last war with vl th its farm land boom and subsequent collapse should be a reminder that the american farmer should not go in for more land than he can sues suc cess tully fully handle farm land prices have already risen dangerously toward inflation levels farsighted agricultural authorities are urging formers farmers to keep their shirts on and steer clear of the pitfalls of land speculation better soil management methods on a well equipped and econome economically cal operated farm will prove safer in the long run than vast holds fields without efficient management the te key to successful farming operations erat ions in postwar years will lie he in increasing the per acre yield on existing crop land rather than in bringing additional acreage under cultivation it a recent statement by the middle middie west soil improvement committee pointed out N 4 at SNI ma X 0 X lk 11 4 X 1 1 L v increased production of dairy aad and poultry products has been little short ot of a miracle better breeding feeding and management hasteen has been the answer even greater results can be expected in the next few years in months to conie come the emphasis will be on reducing the cost of crop production per unit the statement sets forth that means making every acre do a better crop producing job in every community there are farmers who increased their wartime crop output as high as 60 50 per cent without increasing the cultivated area by one single acre in every case the larger yield was the result of adopting good son soil fertility practices the experience of these farmers can be profitably followed by their neighbors in their peace their soil consert ing methods not only prevented waste oi of fertility but actually have helped restore it such methods include growing legumes to enrich the soils nitrogen and organic matter supply the use of adequate quantities of mixed fertilizers containing nitrogen phosphorus and potash liming contour plowing and a limiting so far as possible ot of soil depleting crops soli fertility the matter of soil fertility replenishment will have an important bearing on the peacetime continuation of farm prosperity if the nations farms are to be kept productive duc tive a vast soil rebuilding job res lies immediately ahead how important may be understood der stood from a recent report issued by the soil conservation service of cl the department of agriculture which estimated that nearly one billion acres more than 90 per cent of the nations farmlands need soil conservation treatment to protect them from erosion and to maintain their fertility wartime crop goals used up the soils resources of nitrogen chorus and potash faster than they could be replaced in spite of the tact that the fertilizer industry broke all previous production records farmers have realized that this wartime drain on oil their soils fertility leve 1 was a necessary contribution to victory but the fact remains that thai wealth borrowed from the soil to help hasten peace must be repaid while every encouragement will be given to soil rebuilding projects by the federal government and by state agricultural agencies the major responsibility tor for getting done will rest on the shoulders 01 0 individual farmers the effectiveness of the individual farmers so soil 11 rebuilding program can be enhanced by the co opera tion flan of agronomists at state agricultural colleges and experiment stations through research and experimentation over a long span of years these experts have developed information C concerning ning fertilizer needs tor for various crops and soils that la Is helpful to the farmer who is undertaking a replenishment program the operation cooperation co of the fertilize industry will be an effective aid also the me present plant capacity ol 01 manufacturers is sufficient clent to meet all peacetime needs of agriculture 1 r farmers are more fortunately situated tor for accomplishing their soil restoring job than at any time in tho past generation dollars invested in war bonds during the farm arm cash income has been at a high level and farm debt at a low point can provide the ready cash to pay for or the tha niti nitrogen ogen phosphorus and potash needed to build up the fertility level of americas soil |