Show women purchasers can ca n aid U S farmers fitting Fam ilys diet with farm production helps U S war effort americas farmers today arent feeding a mere citizens of the united states they are also responsible for filling huge gaps in the food supplies of most of the free world the uniformed and civilian this is a large order they will need all the help they can get from the consumer at home if they are to continue to fill steadily growing lend lease orders from the united nations the consumer is a woman if youre a man probably say hey what about me well mister youre practically nobody when it comes to deciding what eat and what wear women buy 80 per cent of the food sold and 75 per cent of the clothing further than that they influence almost all customer purchasing this is where the housewife can offer one of the greatest contributions to winning the war she can see to it that the diet of her family fits in with farm production and the shortages created by the war she should be informed on the problems involved in producing the goods she wants and getting them into her hands As the buyers for some 34 million households from coast to coast women have a tremendous responsibility lity to the families they feed and clothe during 1942 the farmer has marked the highest production level CONSUMERS CREED I 1 will buy what is plentiful I 1 will buy what is fresh I 1 will buy what is produced locally awill I 1 will buy what the government asks me to buy through the victory food program I 1 will urill not hoard or waste food I 1 in history at the same time annual income payments nationally have increased some 20 billions of dollars but crop goals met and passed and an income increase of over 17 per cent dont mean that the housewife can go out and buy whatever she wants and as much as she wants since pearl harbor the consumer picture has undergone radical changes scarcity ceiling price and rationing have become cornmon common words food is no longer readily available if the housewife has the price to pay some of her old time staples are on the scarce list items such as tea bananas coffee and sugar off the farm consumers the urban group comprise over 75 per cent of the population of the united states foodstuffs and clothing combined account for about 40 per cent of every dollar spent by the average urban family it is therefore obvious that at no previous time has good management in buying been more important give consumer protection urging consumers and remember that means women to take heed of the farmers problems brings out the little littie known fact that the U S department of agriculture in return does not forget consumer protection in its farming for freedom program when the housewife buys tresh vegetables from day to day she likely to think much about the fact that the vegetables arrived on season schedule that they were in sufficient quantity and that the price was right its only when those conditions exist that she might begin to wonder how her table is served then she would learn that by taking the long view for both farmer and consumer safety the overall over all agricultural program results in uniform distribution of farm commodities an even flow of goods into X fresh vegetables head bead the market list of this housewife her family is i well nourished because americas farmers are doing their part for wartime health and efficiency homes prevention of market ties and glutted markets and pr provision 0 of benefits fai ah price and quality the victory victorya 7 specials announced from week to week are a part of this plan they use up products which are plentiful often preventing waste and loss to the farmer and allowing the buyer to take advantage of diet variations at a better price whether or not the consumers needs are met really depends upon the accuracy with which production has been scheduled to obtain an adequate and steady supply of food at prices fair alike to producers and consumers this is the consumers best insurance against the problems of scarcity something known as acreage allotment is no now being being use used d boin to mi m i crease production of of certain crops needed for the war a pare part of the changeover change over from normal peacetime peace time farming to all out war production the farmer is converting his fields to war production just as surely as the manufacturer turns his machines from automobiles to airplanes production without adjustment would be inexcusable waste at any time in wartime it is is criminal what crop reserves do probably mrs average housewife be able to tell you what an ever normal granary is but ashes enjoying the advantages of living under a farming system that provides for crop reserves in recent years lots of wheat corn and other products have been stored against a time when crops might be smaller or demands greater when drouth once pushed corn production as much as 40 per cent below normal meat prices skyrocketed sky rocketed and consumers suffered hardships but now with the ever normal gran arys stored reserves of more than 25 p per er cent of a normal years crop there is plenty of feed to convert into meat eggs and dairy products crop insurance has a formidable sound but it is a simple procedure that pays big dividends to the consumer as well as to the producer who meets the premiums such insurance keeps farmers in bi business siness producing needed goods by guaranteeing them for example some wheat or cotton income every year even if a crop tails fails this protection gives farmers the assurance they need to go in for production of critical war crops consumer protection for everybody ery body even if it occur to theroman the woman who buys a loaf of bread housewives are currently faced with the necessity of cutting down on sugar once so much a part of their regular purchases that they ei ma M aig mt R 1 I vt I 1 alv IF e A marketing his produce is the final step in the farmers program of the american table took it for granted curtailment cut just due to the war acut of shipping shipping I 1 materials sources sources of raw important off at is one te rials of which industrial sugar uses of the same time sugar have increased sugars sugar ceiling on price pric e have might than is lower however the buyer for this been expected which can thank a sugar program that to growers payments provides are helping them S tep step up production conservation on the farm may seem a far cry r from top quality lettuce it beans eans b or green or potatoes from tender farther seem even may milk rich in butter ia fat meats or and farther still from lower prices know and consumers but farmers farmer should be a ware aware that soil build ing and soil cons conserving erving practices e mean larger yields and better qua quality well nour nourished dished ian land d produces s soil oil better crops than depleted wholesomeness guaranteed guarantee d regulatory laws administer adm administered iniste red by the united states depart department ment of agriculture ri directly affect homes and consumer income z and buying power consumers are protected against misbranding mis branding substitutions and swindling by the pure food and drug act it provides a safeguard lor wholesome foodstuffs thereby protecting both health and pocketbook research activities of the department are equally related to consumer interests sixty five research laboratories have experiments constantly in process they dont just develop cloth from milk and plastics from soybeans they also determine methods of increasing production and strengthening the quality of farm products foods are carefully analyzed by experts so that their vitamin and mineral content can be accurately given nutrition studies set up minimum food requirements show how they may be met at the least cost and what available foods may be substituted for those on the scarce list or headed that way steering food purchases these nutrition studies are of particular interest to the housewife she is faced with the problem of providing her family with enough to eat to maintain health and efficiency r V M k r I 1 el this young homemaker is choosing her dinner vegetables from the wide variety sent to market every day by the nations farmers her family will get plenty of vitamins she must steer her food buying so that supplies may be used to the best advantage and at the same time provide the highest consumer satisfaction the individual buyer these days must think always of her purchases as they relate to those of the 34 million other american housewives what the result would be if that buying were multiplied by 34 million would it create new s scarcity or make a scarce food nonexistent non existent or would it have the effect of utilizing the foods that are available in abundance alarm over possible increased food costs has been evidenced by some homemakers the retail cost of a basket of foods representing annual family purchases amounted to in september 1942 an increase of 73 over the price of the same foods in the period from but the cost was still 10 lower than in 1929 Working mens families today can buy ay a basket bask t of specified food products for the smallest share of family income on record since 1913 in september 1942 it required only 22 per cent of the family income during the preceding five years the same food basket accounted for 27 cent of the income average per family income has h as been rising more rapidly than food prices during the last three years and through the fir first st 10 months of 1942 reasons include higher wage rates more hours of work per week with overtime over time payments and more persons employed |