Farm Program
Farm Program
(By Practical Experience in a
Man's Lifetime.)
I was born in a farm inSheboygan County, Wis., in 1879. In 1892, Father, his five sons and onedaughter located in Mower county. Minn., on a farm. In 1924 I moved my familyto Winneshiek county, Iowa. In 1934, I was elected State Senator in this greatstate of Iowa, on a platform of homestead tax exemption.
As to a farm program, I believe in the normalGranary Storage Plan for the crops grown in different states; I also believe incost of production plus a profit to the farmer.
Farming is different than any other business. (1) Ittakes 90 to 120 days, with sunshine and rain, to grow the average crop, to saynothing of the potential hazards of hail, drought, wind, blight, rust, andinsects, which destroy the farmer's crop. The farmer takes the risk and it isthe duty of every citizen to work towards the goal that he may get cost ofproduction. (2) Farming is the basic industry in the United States. The priceof the farmer's products, in each state, at a cost of production is prosperity;below cost of production is depression.
Let us look back at some of the depression years.Let's start with 1890 and use 65 years as the average man's life span. We'llstart with the days of President Cleveland; the horse and buggy days. At thattime we had a low standard of living, no work for the laborer and insufficientpaychecks. We called these the Coxey's Army days. Farm products were cheap, butso was everything the farmer bought. I picked corn for a farmer in Cerro Gordocounty, Iowa, for which I was payed two cents a bushel. The farmer sold thecorn for 11 cents a bushel.
A schoolteacher boarded at this farmer's home. Sheearned $40.00 a month and payed $10 a month for board and room.
This farmer owned 160 acres of land on which hepayed $54.00 taxes. In order to pay his taxes, he sold about 500 bushels 'of corn. In those days people couldget along, but they were not satisfied.
Now let's look at the years when Hoover waspresident. These were days of a higher standard of living, automobiles, pavedhighways and graveled roads. There was a little increase in wages, but not muchwork could be found.
Taxes were increased to about $160 on 160 acres ofland. The price of corn was down to about ten cents a bushel. There was nomarket for corn, at times, and it was used for fuel in schools and homes. Itnow took 1500 bushels of corn to pay taxes on 160 acres of land. Since thefarmer didn't have the corn, he could not pay his Taxes or support his family.
Farm and home foreclosures were the result. Peoplelost their life's savings and farmers were desperate. They dumped milk, hogsand cattle along the highways. They took judges out of the courthouses to stopthe foreclosures. These were days when we needed a storage and price supportplan.
Now let's look at the years of-prosperity; the yearswhen President Truman was in office, Then came a storage and price support planand a higher standard of living. The price of corn, the basic crop in Iowa, was$1.50 to $2.00 a bushel. Teachers earned from $200 to $400 a month. The wagesof common labor were highest in the history of the United States. More moneycreated more buying power and brought prosperity to all the smaller businesses.
Taxes on an Iowa farm were the lowest they had beensince the horse and buggy days. On 160 acres of land. you payed about $3.00 anacre, or $380.00, less than the price of 300 bushels of corn. The farmer hadthe corn and could pay these taxes.
Under President Truman, taxes amounted to 300 bushelsof corn; under President Cleveland, 500 bushels and under President Hoover,1500 bushels of corn.
Let's protect what we gained during PresidentTruman's term of office.
For 20 years the U.S. government experimented with afarm program which has brought farm economy to a fairly high level ofprosperity. Since Secretary Benson has taken office, this program has fallenapart rapidly.
The 864.00 question is this: Why do we exportcommodities which we already produce too much of in our own country?. And wetrain our farmers to raise more at the taxpayer's expense.
Write to me if you approve of my program. Also writeto me if you don't approve of it, and tell me why not.--Sam D. Goetsch, 310 N.Mill St., Decorah Ia