Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 14, Number 37, DeMotte, Jasper County, 28 July 1944 — AAA NEWS [ARTICLE]

AAA NEWS

Announcing details of a newly expanded program to encourage the harvesting of legume and grass seeds this year, N. E. Dodd, Chief of the Agricultural Adjustment Agency, Washington, warns farmers that there is critical shortage of these seeds. “Our domestic hay and pasture supply and soil conservation program cannot be maintained unless we harvest more seed,” the AAA chief has written Elmer Brown, Chairman of the Jasper county AAA committee. Recognizing the need for emergency action, Congress has provided a special fund of $12,500,000 to the Triple A to stimulate harvesting of legume and grass seeds. 1. Harvesting of certain legume and grass seed becomes an “unlimited practice” in the AAA conservation program which means that cooperating farmers can obtain the regularAAA payment of $3.50 an acre for this practice on any number of acres harvested. 2. Additional special payments will be made by AAA of 3Mj cents a pound on red clover seed (cleaned basis) and cents a pound on alfalfa and alsike clover seed (cleaned basis) for harvesting of these seed varieties. There will be no restrictions on the total payments which can be earned by a farmer for harvesting legume and grass seed, Dodd explained. In the past, such payments could be earned only up to 25 acres; The AAA also has exempted such payments from the so-called ‘farm allowance” established by the county committee for each farm. Red clover, alfalfa, and alsike clover have been chosen for the special poundage payments because of their extreme scarcity relative to our needs, Dood stated. “Every farmer who can harvest some of the seeds included in this special program shold do so in his own interest and in that of the nation,” the AAA cheif added. “ Unfavorable weather plus the greatly increased demands for hay pasture and food crops during the war have reduced our harvest of legume and grass seed during the two years. We need seed to grow soil-enriching legume and and grass crops in this country. If at all possible, we also want to share some seeds with the farmers of countries being liberated by our armed forces. By giving them seed, we can help them get their farming operations back to normal and thus reduce their dependence upon this country for food.