Show american amerian farmers to continue high production goals in satisfying de demands mands of entire world peacetime need for products assures far farmers mers of good market and price what will the impact of wars end mean to american agriculture that question has been raised with increasing frequency ever since accepted president tru mans unconditional surrender terms and the jap hordes nave have iaia down thear arms it has brought in its train other questions will a farm arm slump occur will continued vast production smash prices will transition to peacetime schedules upset farm economy three fairly definite answers have emerged and each is reassuring to everyone who lives on or near a farm 1 demand tor for foods fibers and oils will continue to require a high rate of farm production the world must eat and american farmers must teed feed it 2 farm prices will not be deflated the government has already guaranteed the farmer support prices tor for many of his products or one or two years after the war 3 the farmer unlike industry is not faced with problems his job is growing crops and he needs no different set of tools to lo accomplish his objectives all of these factors eliminate the possibility of a sudden crash iri in farm income farm economists are agreed there will be no immediate cutback in production despite the end of the war in the months to tome domestic mes tic and military needs ol 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 with vast areas of europe and 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 help keep whole continents alive and healthy during this same kilpe the united states itself must be fed As demobilization of our armed forces proceeds there will be less need for the various services to have great stocks of food in reserve that will tend to increase civilian supplies as w well ell as permit better distribution trib ution no major farm surplus with industrial getting getling the grien 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 etim e e civilian jobs one thing the war demo demonstrated was that if the entire nation n a tion Is at work there is no major farm surplus plus problem 1 the greatest crops in history have been produced during the war the record year was 1842 1942 next was 1944 and indications are that this year will exceed 1943 so that 1045 may be the third best credit for or this epic achievement must go to the nations farmers but the contribution of the fertilizer industry should not be overlooked agricultural ri authorities estimate that more than 20 per cent of the crop production in the war years has been due to the use of fertilizers the use of plant foods has been of essential importance to the food production program because it has enabled farmers to produce bigger crops on existing acres instead ot of having to plow up millions of acres of additional farm faim land the saving in labor equipment and man hours has bas been enormous farm income during recent years has passed the peaks reached during and immediately after world 7 pa W 2 6 al I 1 1 1 nt the war production of garden crys crops reached ft a new lew high the demand will till continue coti nue for some lome time new varieties Tr lettes proved soil iii fertilization and md new equipment will aid the farmer in repeating his record pro uc lion of these crops war 1 I prices are now near or above parity even it 11 prices should come down to government support levels a drop ot of perhaps 15 per cent below present peaks farm purchasing power will be enormous the farmer has a higher amount to r spend pend out of his income than other wage earners for the reason that less of his income is required tor 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 importance to americas knieri cals peacetime economy farmer in strong position 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 hla his savings in war bonds to spend for essentials in years to come clearly the farmer has emerged from the war in a stronger position than he was at its start to maintain that position the farmer should do some straight thinking and planning two things are especially important 1 I 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 level which the vast war crop production quotas have caused the experience of the last war with 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 successfully cess fully handle farm land prices have already risen dangerously toward inflation levels farsighted agricultural authorities are urging farmers to keep their shirts on and steer clear of the pitfalls of land speculation better soil management methods on a well equipped and economically operated farm will prove safer in the long run than vast fields without efficient management the 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 a recent statement by the middle west soli soil improvement committee pointed out nc 1 I 0 V M j WE e k increased production of dairy and poultry products has be been en little short of a miracle better br breeding ecal n g feeding and management I 1 has been the answer even greater results can be expected in the next to few years in months to come the emphasis emp hasla will be on reducing the cost of crop production per unit the statement sets seta 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 50 per cent without increasing the cultivated area by one single acre in every case the larger yield was the result of adopting good soil fertility practices the experience of these farmers can be profitably followed by their neighbors in their peacetime operations their soil consert ing methods not only prevented waste of fertility but actually have hava helped restore it such methods include growing legumes to enrich the soils nitrogen and organ organic ic matter supply the use of adequate quantities of mixed fertilizers containing nitrogen phosphorus and potash liming contoni plowing and a limiting so far as po pos sible of soil depleting crops soil fertility replenishment the matter of soil fertility replenishment will have an Im bearing on the peacetime continuation of farm prosperity if nations farms are to be kept productive duc tive a vast soll soil rebuilding job lies immediately ahead how important this Is may be understood der stood from a recent report issued by the soil conservation service of the department of agriculture which estimated that nearly one billion acres more than 90 per cent of the tha nations farmlands need soil conservation treatment to protect th them cm from erosion and to maintain their fertility wartime crop goals used up the tha soils resources of nitrogen phosphorus and potash taster faster than they could be replaced in spite of the tact fact that the fertilizer industry broke all previous production records farmers have realized that this wartime drain on their soils fertility level was a necessary contribution to ale victory but the tact fact remains that 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 for getting the job done will rest on the shoulders C ol 01 individual farmers the effectiveness of the individual farmers soil rebuilding program can be enhanced by the co opera tion lion of agronomists at state agricultural colleges and experiment stations through research and experimentation over a long span of years these experts have developed information concerning fertilizer needs needa for various crops and soils that ii 13 helpful to the farmer who is 13 undertaking a replenishment program the operation cooperation co of the fertilizer industry ini will be an effective aid also alo the present plant capacity of manufacturers is sufficient clent to nice meet t all peacetime needs of agriculture farmers are more fortunately situated tor for accomplishing their soll soil restoring job than at any time in th the past generation dollars invested in war bonds dui in the period when farm cash income has been at a mill high level and farm debt at a low point can provide the tha ready cash to pay for the nitrogen phosphorus and potash needed to build up the fertility level of americas soil |