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Show Sugar Beets Vital to U. S. State and county committees of the Agricultural Adjustment Agency Agen-cy are lending every possible aid and encouragement to sugar beet growers in Utah to help reach the 1945 goal of 45,000 acres as Utah's part In solving the nationwide nation-wide critical sugar supply program, pro-gram, Joseph Skeen, member of the Utah State AAA committee, declared Tuesday. "With the nation's sugar supply sup-ply now at an all time low for the war period, It Is estimated that beet growers of the nation must plant at least 951,000 acres of sugar beets in 1945, if minimum U. S. sugar beet requirements are to be met. Utah farmers' share of this goal Is 45,000 acres, which represents an increase of 32 per cent over 1944 acreage. However, it represents only 88 per cent of the five-year pre-war averages and about 5,000 acres less than should be planted to maintain economically sound farm operations in the state" Mr. Skeen added. Utah farmers in planning their 1945 operations should not only consider their responsibility ' in assisting to supply the nation's needs in wartime, but also the importance of planting sufficient acreage to insure maintenance of the industry in the area in future years. Sugar beets have played a major ma-jor role in the economic welfare and development of the state since its beginning. Producers harvested. Farmers have an important advantage ad-vantage this year over other years In planning their production to meet the requirements which form the basis for the 1945 goals through the earlier announcement of the price support program. The War Food administration has offered of-fered to enter into price supporting support-ing agreements with sugar beet processors under which the Administration, Ad-ministration, through the proces-j proces-j sors, will assure farmers a na-j na-j tional average return for 1945-crop j sugar beets of standard quality ' $3.00 per ton higher than the j average return for 1942. It is es-I es-I timated that total returns to growers from the 1945 crop including includ-ing payments under the Sugar Act of 1937 issued through county AAA committeemen, will average around $12.50 per ton." anuuiu Keep in mind tnat 11 we expect to do well with a sugar program in future years, we will need sugar beet history on our farms. There has been a tendency to ' curtail sugar beet acreage in past years under the quota system. If and when the supply situation becomes normal, the quota system may again be adopted in which case sugar heet history in the state and on individual farms will be important. No definite assurance can be given at this time that sufficient labor will be available to handle the sugar beet crop. However, some easing of the tight sugar Tjeet labor situation may occur with the return of men from the armed forces and from industrial in-dustrial centers. j developments involving the use , of segmented seed, mechanical blockers and harvesting machines 1 will result in lowering the labor requirements below what it would 1 be otherwise. The office of labor ! and War Food administration is ! planning for the importation of foreign agricultuarl labor in 1945 in approximately the same numbers num-bers as in 1944. They will , cooperate with the War department in the assignment assign-ment and distribution of prisoners prison-ers of war to meet the additional labor requirements resulting from the increased acreage goal. The outlook for locally mobilizezd domestic do-mestic labor is about the same as in 1944. Mr. Skeen pointed out that reports re-ports from sugar beet districts I indicate that the 1944 crop was harvested with very little loss. Because of this experience and in I view of the fact that they never j have been assured at the time of planting of a full labor supply, growers should be less pessimistic about the labor supply and plant their fair share, or more if possible, pos-sible, of the goal. A crop will : not he produced unless it is planted. Growers may be assured . that everything possible will be ! done where sugar beets ' are ! planted to see that the crop is j |