U. S. Seeks New Trade

HELLO FOLKS — For many months Farm Bureau, with the Departments of Agriculture and a number of congressmen, has been working on a foreign trade program. It was first called "aid by trade" — now it is officially named "Trade Development Act of 1954."

The idea of the program is to help rid ourselves of farm surpluses at the same time we are aiding others, and in such a way that as many countries as possible will benefit from the program.

Many countries need food, but under present trade barriers and government inertia, these countries who so badly need our surplus food are unable to buy because of lack of markets in the U. S.

Japan, for instance, needs wheat, cotton, soybeans and dried milk — we have these things — and if Japan can sell her exports, she can buy food. The capital goods Japan has are needed in many Asiatic countries. These countries, in turn have strategic materials that we need. By creating the trade development act, private traders would sell surplus food to Japan and the Government would guarantee the money. Japanese traders would sell the Asiatic countries, and the U. S. would, in turn, get strategic materials such as manganese, chrome, mica, cobalt, etc.

There are other countries in similar positions. It does not take a great deal of imagination to realize the potentialities of such a program.

This trade development act coupled with a flexible farm program can do wonders for American agriculture. This is just one example of what Farm Bureau is doing, and what farmers can do when they unite their forces.

I would like to have each one of my readers try a little stunt and remember the lesson it teaches. Take a number of sticks — matches will do it you use enough. Break a few one by one. See how easily they break! Now put several together — they don't break very easily, do they? In fact, if you put enough of them together, you cannot break them. So it is with organizations. United we stand, divided we fall.

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Sharon and Bruce hadn't seen each other for a few days. Now they were sitting together in the moonlight. Sharon said, "Whisper something soft and sweet in my ear." Bruce whispered, "Marshmallows".

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One day we were all seated around the breakfast table. I noticed Ann hadn't washed her hands and face and said, "Ann, you haven't washed yet." She hurriedly grabbed her glass of fruit juice, gulped it down, and exclaimed jubilantly, "It's too late now!"

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We were planning to go to the drive-in theater. Ann asked her mother. "When we going, Mommie?" "As soon as it get dark" said Mother. Ann went to the stairway door, looking in and exclaimed, "Nope, it ain't dark yet."

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The Farm Bureau office is open each week day from 10 to 12 and from 1 to 3 o'clock. Saturdays 10 to 12. Remember those gas tax refund slips are due every four months now. Cora will take care of them for you at the office.

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A favorite dish at our house is a thick slice of homemade bread with cream poured over it and topped with some kind of sauce or preserves. Rhubarb and applesauce are favorites for the dish — I also like wild plum.

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Quite often you hear certain politicians and misinformed people say that price will not control production — that farmers will not  cut production if they are losing money. I think that is giving a pretty low opinion of the modern farmer. There may have been a time when the farmer didn't know what his cost of production was, but that time is pretty much in the past.

With high mechanism and education, the farmer has had to become a good business man, and as such, he knows fairly well what his costs are and when he is breaking even.

And I don't think there are very many farmers today who are going to farm at a loss. He may enlarge when the profits are narrow so that he can be more efficient, but just as sure as he does that, there are others going into a more profitable game.

All evidence, to date, proves that price is the main guiding factor in production. When farmers learn to apply the knowledge that is available to us today, prices are going to fluctuate less drastically.