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Show l nui"i' - Farm Conservation Report . Trigg Outlines Price Suppori Proposals ' Recognition that ''stability of firm income is in the national Interest" is the basis for the whole price support program which Secretary of Agriculture Charles F. Brannan has recommended recom-mended to Congress, Ralph S. TrteC Administrator of the Production Pro-duction and Marketing Administration, Adminis-tration, recently told a state conference of county f armcr-com-mitteemen at Richmond Va. The basic principles, Mr. Trigg said are contained in present legislation, including the Agr-cultural Agr-cultural Act of 1948. He listed the following as the basic elements ele-ments of the Secretary's proposal propos-al Establish a farm-income or pur-. pur-. rhaslng-powcr base below which it is not in the national interest to permit farm buying power to fall Then use this as a more realistic starting1 point for figuring fig-uring individual price supports than the old parity formula which goes back 40 years for its base. Provide for extension of definite def-inite price supports to commodities commodi-ties not previously covered well enough milk, meat, and other perishables which make up 75 per cent of farm income, and which are most important on the consumer's table. In supporting these perishable commodities, use production payments pay-ments instead of buying up surpluses sur-pluses to support the market. This would permit market prices to go down to the point where consumers can buy more; yet, through the production payments, pay-ments, farmers would get fair returns. There would be more definite recognition of the relationship between price support, conservation conserva-tion and orderly marketing programs. pro-grams. Farmers who got the benefits of price supports would also accept the responsibilities which tie all parts of a farm program pro-gram together. Producers of storable commodities commod-ities would notice , very 1 ittle change under the Secretary's proposals, pro-posals, the Administrator said. Loan and other price support operations would continue as now in effect. Major Decisions Facing Farmers Current crop estimates indicate indi-cate that growers of some basic commodities may be called upon to vote in marketing quota ref-erendums ref-erendums as required under current cur-rent laws, says J. Vern Hopkin, chairman of the Utah Production and Marketing Administration committee. With this in prospect he points out that it is important fa.rmers to have in mind that farmers themselves, through their elected committees, administer admin-ister these programs. The chairman explains that acreage allotments on specified major crops also may be established estab-lished by order of the Secretary of Agriculture. A national allotment allot-ment is established and this is broken down to state and county allotments. The farmer-elected county committees then have the responsibility of setting up the allotments for each farm. While acreage allotments may be established by order of the Secretary, marketing quotas to be put in effect must be approved by two-thirds of the farmers voting vot-ing in a referendum. And if quota quo-ta programs are approved, they also are administered by the local loc-al farmer-elected committees. These same committeemen arc responsible for the Agricultural Conservation Program and for activities in connection wilh the Government price support program pro-gram for farm commodities. No '48 Spuds 'Dumped,' Says Brannan "It has been nearly 2 years since any potatoes were 'dumped' for lack of outlets," Secretary of Agriculture Charles F. Brannan Bran-nan Mated in a recent renort on the Government's price support program for the 1948 potato crop. As recommended by a congressional congres-sional committee, the Secretary said, the Department of Agriculture Agricul-ture "has gone to great lengths to find useful outlets for all the purchased potatoes so that non2 would have to be destroyed . . . However, the intensive effort to utilize every possible diversion outlet . . . has added to the overall over-all cash cost of the program." Purchases under the 1943-crop potato price support program have been made in all states except ex-cept Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, Tennessee, and West Virginia. As of March 21, it was slated, the cost for the 1948-crop potatoes pota-toes purchased from producers had reached a total of SI 55 million, mil-lion, or an average of $5:457 for each of the 18.444 farms "eligible" "elig-ible" to participate in the program. pro-gram. "Commercial" farms numbering num-bering C9,520, which grew 3 or more acres of potatoes, received acreage goals for the 1948 crop, but all did not qualify under tho purchase program. Adding transportation trans-portation costs, handling, and distribution charges which exceeded ex-ceeded the returns from the various var-ious outlets brings the average up to $6,157 per "eligible" farm; The total net cost for handling1 1948-crop potatoes has now passed pas-sed the $200-million mark. A more indicative measure of "per farm" costs, said the Secretary, Sec-retary, would bo gained by dividing di-viding total costs among all producers pro-ducers who sell rather than among the 28.000 from whom program purchases were made. This is because mandatory price supports, which legislation directed di-rected to be carried out on potatoes po-tatoes at 90 per cent of parity, have held up the market for all potato producers and not just for the relatively few commercial farms which complied wilh all eligibility requirements and sold potatoes to the Government under un-der the price support program. Estimates are that about l3 million farms produce some poof po-of these grow more than an acre ofthese grow more than an acre and therefore produce , for sale. ACP Dividends Too often the cost and not the returns on the investment arc considered in connection with soil and water conservation practices prac-tices under the Agricultural Conservation Con-servation Program, says Douglas Doug-las H. Bertoch, chairman of the Duchesne County ACP committee. commit-tee. The allocation to Duchesne county for conservation' under the 1949 ACP is $55,864, the chairman explains. The county committee has the responsibility to get the maximum amount of conservation from the use of these funds. Records indicate that more than $2 worth of conservation con-servation is obtained for each dollar spent. As a general policy, the chairman chair-man slates, each farmer is required re-quired to put up about half the "out-of-pocket" cost of conservation conserva-tion practices caxried out under the program. That means the farmers of Duchesne county will put up another $55,864 to protect the nations soil and water resources. re-sources. In addition, the assistance provided pro-vided under the program has acted act-ed as a leaven for additional conservation. con-servation. Encouraged by the assistance provided under the program, farmers often carry out additional conservation work. Many practices started under the program become established farming system and are con tinucd indefinitely, It should not be overlooked either, Mr. Bertoch points out. that much of the $55,864 allocated allocat-ed to Duchesne county will be used locally to purchase materials. mater-ials. Other practice costs which the farmers supply also enter local trade channels. It all means business on Main Street. Even more Important is the stability which stems from Improved land and the resulting continued production. |