Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 9, Number 45, DeMotte, Jasper County, 28 September 1939 — FARM TOPICS [ARTICLE]

FARM TOPICS

BUSINESS RECOVERY VITAL TO FARMERS Employment Revival Would Aid Agriculture.

By DR. O. B. JESNESS

Solution of a considerable part of the farm problem must be looked for in industry rather than on the farm. Colorado State college is giving serious consideration to the interlocking of these two major American enterprises. Industrial and employment recovery concern the farmer because increased purchasing power among consumers means improved demand for farm products. Such recovery also will aid agricultural adjustment in that more opportunities for work will be provided for the excess farm population. Unsatisfactory prices and income for farmers have led to programs seeking to raise prices by holding production or supplies offered on the market in check. There is not an adequate market to absorb at satisfactory prices all of the products farmers produce. Agriculture is carried on by such a vast number of individuals that adjustment of production to a depressed market does not come readily. It presents a decided contrast to manufacturing in this respect. The fact that agriculture cannot readily adjust production has paved the way for government adjustment programs. To the extent the troubles of agriculture are the results of surplus output, the remedy must be either market recovery and expansion, or actual curtailment of the industry. Markets have been curtailed by the depression. For the future, land prices need to be kept in line with prospects for long-time returns. There are. problems of soil conservation and land use calling for public attention. However, soil conservation needs to be treated as a problem of itself rather than to be used as the vehicle for benefit payments to increase the agricultural income. In the future, greater recognition probably will be given to the fact that the individual operator has responsibilities in the matter of caring for the soil and other resources. O. In a democracy, public policy is shaped by public opinion. This requires that the average citizens must think seriously about our problems and arrive at sound judgments. That thinking must recognize broader considerations of general welfare rather than to spring only from narrow self-interest.