Show farmer armer plots crop acreage under new AAA program agency to assist drive to meet record wartime production committeemen will carry grievances Grievance sto to war boar boards ids goal Is to raise yields per acre all problems will be dealt with on local basis the 1943 farmer is on his honorl honor like the boy taking an examination at school its up to hi him m and him alone hes strictly on his own under the 1943 agricultural adjustment agency plan the farm farmer er for the first time has the full for ceasur ing his on specific crops and reporting the results he gets formerly this was done by AAA employees but the new scheme will conserve travel cut down wear and tear on tires and cars and decrease the use of gas bind and oil now it is up to the farmer to check on his own fields he appears to be happy about this change in program administration department of agriculture reports show while AAA committeemen themselves farmers will continue to give him every assistance the responsibility for carrying out production plans and doing his share in the national program rests with the individual operator spot checks will be made per periodically lodl to determine the status of community and county production and farmers are being asked to keep records and lay out their crops so that reports can be made easily and quickly goals this year call for about 5 per cent more production than in 1942 basis for the 1943 AAA program to reach these goals is local action it recognizes that the job ol of production adjustment of shifting crops to meet war needs and planning acreage to the best advantage must be worked out and carried out on the individual farms it cant be done in washington say the committeemen it must be done locally to conform to the local situation instead of a national overall over all goal formula each state and county has been left free to adopt the means which seem best suited to the particular section concerned wide latitude is given the committeemen in making goal assignments they are not only allowed to determine such assignments on a capacity of the former farmer to produce basis they are expected to use such a yardstick capacity to produce varies according ing to the character of the farm land machinery end and labor available and many other factors each region has its individual problems which must be taken into consideration ire determining what the specific area may reasonably do in a given period atia AAA Committe committeeman emart will keep government Overn ment Im informed formed the role of the AAA committeeman will be that of an important go between who keeps the government informed on the farmers progress and problems and the farmer informed on what the government 4 4 committeeman will hear bear grievance expects of him and what it is doing to help him circumvent obstacles that present themselves adjustment the process of help in the farm operator to scale his cp production upward or down word ward to fit into the national agrical kutal picture has always been one ot of the major activities of AAA it I 1 helps farmers meet production problems by providing guidance and anc assistance in producing the kinds of 0 crops that are needed in the re quiren amounts working in cooper co oper atlon with other units of the depart ment of agriculture community farmer committeemen in 1942 totaled regular elected committeemen and about al ter nates county committees totaled with members the county committeemen are responsible to the state offices which in turn report to the regional offices uncle millions million 3 of farms depend upon the AAA committeemen to keep them informed of changing phases of the overall over all national program of the states particular part in the 1943 farm plan and of the numerous details having to do with production goals and how they can be met AAA county chairmen are also chairmen of the county farm transportation committees which issue certificates of war necessity for mileage rationing and the county farm machinery machine ry rationing committees mit tees which ration many types of farm equipment in the matter of labor shortage fhe che community committees report localized needs to the county committee and war board chairman the latter then carrying the problems on to the proper authorities chairmen of AAA state and county committees head up the war boards which correlate the efforts of department of agriculture agencies to assist farmers in their war production getting the right fields into the right kind of production and getting higher yields out of every acre through better farming practices is the basic theme of the committee mans work in 1943 cn committeeman nit teeman will help arrange cooperative action among his activities is helping to arrange operative cooperative co use of scarce machinery and operative cooperative co transportation por tation programs many localities already have worked out successful schemes for sharing trucks 14 4 mr farmers farmer on an hit his own and trailers as well as binders combines picking machines and other mechanical aids to planting and harvesting essential war crops facilities for storage of crops are sometimes another item for him to handle assistance in the various loan and purchase programs instituted by the food distribution administration and commodity credit corporation is made available through the AAA committeeman increased production of peanuts soybeans hemp under a special program castor bean seed irish potatoes and many other crops has been greatly aided by such programs new applications for insurance on the 1943 cotton crop will be handled by the committeeman and he will in addition keep farmers informed of the availability of loans insurance and payments under the program program objectives of AAA also vary la in certain instances from past planning emphasis is falling still more heavily on the need for better yields per par acre to achieve this more attention is being given to production practices which immediately increase yields all out activity in the use of lime and phosphate contour cultivation and terracing for example is being urged over three fourths of 1043 1943 production practice payment funds for the country as a whole will be used to promote such quick helps to better crops in the east central region about 80 per cent of such payments are going for promotion of this immediate yield program production practices reports show are feeling the localizing influence just as are other oilier branches of the AAA program formerly the rates of payment for different practices were worked out on what might be termed a national basis this year the various regions determine the soil building allowances forthe for the farms in their particular areas with relation to the particular problems involved in the southern region each state has Us its own basis for determining ter mining soil building allowances reason for this localization is obvious Product production ibn practices may be more easily adapted to the In dividu al areas and the individual farms within them in turn available funds may be used to the best advantage and with the greatest efficiency acreage limitations have been removed on a number of crops which previously had such limits except for short staple cotton tobacco and perhaps one or two other crops farmers are urged to exceed their goals in 19 1943 43 this is particularly F 10 esy k ix will aid cooperative plans plan true of dairy products and meat goals for most crops are minimums calculated as the least possible amount which will keep the national efficiency at a reasonable level and at the same time provide for the armed services and war plant workers and give assistance to americas allies AAA committeemen and the farmers working hand in hand are doing their best to develop and carry through the most efficient and productive individual farm programs they can problems of every sort stand in their way labor machinery transportation and material shortages being paramount by their close personal co opera tion however they make possible an equally close relationship between the farmer fanner and his government americas farmers have a tremendous production job ahead of them demands for food such as they are now attempting to fill have never before been made upon any nation last year they upped production 12 per cent over 41 another 5 per cent increase Is hoped tor for in 43 |