Farmers Face The Future (1945)

as the our might of freemen plunged like a flaming sword into the heart of tyranny as the day of total victory drew near six million American farmers looked to the future the same six million farmers who lifted food out of the land to win the war and who continue to produce the food the world needs as it travels the road to peace farmers want a world at peace that will keep them busy growing food and fiber and timber on the land more than that a world that pays off in stable honest prices sounds like a pretty big order doesn't it American farmers are used to big orders they got one special delivery airmail on Sunday December 7th 1941 a pretty big order America woke to fight and her soil must fight what would we need more serios more grain more meat how much and how could farmers produce it without repeating the mistakes of World War one when we ploughed up the grasslands and pulled the life out of many acres of farmland paying ourselves off with dust storms erosion worn-out land it was too big a question for any one farmer or even farmers in any one state the answer must come from here and it did come these boys got top priority tons of food for the Armed Forces for civilians at home for lend-lease a lifeline of food that covered thousands of miles and spoke a hundred different languages but said one thing will get food to you and it wasn't all hunger would rage like a flooded River in the towns the enemy left behind him at his flight tons of food for relief in rehabilitation Washington counted up the tonnage for a blueprint of farm production and a farmers turned it into a reality wheat spreading like an ocean across the land corn lifting its broad leaves to the Sun dairy products rolling in from east and west meat from the pastures and ranges of the nation cotton in the southern states flax in the north-central States lumber charging down from the forests fruits and vegetables from farms in every part of the country all of these and many more became national crop and livestock goals will every farmer in every state on tap and needed for the job yes a blueprint for production in gold meetings like this one the government asked the states and counties the counties asked the farmers farmers talked it over figured it out for their own land and went to work it wasn't easy industry and army induction sliced farm manpower to the bone but everyone pitched in the women the kids and city folks came out to help or they took a little of the farm to town in Victory Gardens and these helped plenty home canning in the city and on the farm short on health short on machinery but farmers patched it up and made it work the food rolled in a gigantic tribute to American farmers who produced a third again as much as was produced before the war how was it accomplished [Music] first of all farmers had learned through bitter experience that they must take care of the land what is taken from the soil must be put back into the soil the land must last forever second farmers had improved seed fine strains developed through years of scientific research hybrid corn throughout the Corn Belt rust resistant varieties of wheat and oats spread across the Grain Belt there were risks yes never increased dangers from diseased pastures were often overcrowded there was a shortage of insecticides to combat armies like these when bad weather Laidlaw crop there wasn't much to do but pray and then salvaged as much as possible yet farmers produced and they got help the steagle bill guaranteed prices of 90% of parity for war needed crops they were encouraged to try a new crops needed because foreign supplies were cut off the government supplied support prices crop loans dairy feed payments and farmers delivered the goods because they knew where their own particular jobs fitted into the pattern for victory but that's only half the story the world of iron jawed ill duche was turned upside down Bacchus garden and Berlin no longer shielded the madman who dreamed of world domination and stimple light Americans have the audacity to laugh at this sacred Sun of heaven what does Victorine to the American farmer what about post-war markets will farm prices topple when wartime dams are cut the number one question for both farmer and laborer can we avoid another depression depressions don't stop at city boundary lines they knocked the Pens out from under both the city dweller and the farmer can America avoid another depression the answer will be yes if Americans work together against it instead of drifting into it the job of industry in the post-war world is to supply steady employment keep up a stable payment of wages but industry alone cannot assure prosperity industry and farming are dependent upon each other must support each other this means that farmers must plan their production carefully grow the top-quality products the market demands and these people a hundred and thirty million Americans represent their major market to know what products they want a farmer will employ the same methods he used during the war years plenty of discussion with other farmers plenty of cooperation and planning with industry backing of farmers and farmers supporting industry farmers help support a stable industry when they buy the products industry turns out electrical equipment means a better life for farm families means more and better products that will hold their own in the highly competitive post-war markets millions of farm machines are needed to replace those worn out in the war years turning their mouth means more jobs for industry America needs prosperous growing farm communities and farmers want better homes better sanitation better equipment better schools churches roads and better health facilities there is need for enough new farm buildings to provide millions of man-hours of construction and billions of dollars and material and labor farmers will pay for these things where their savings and matured war bonds another assignment for farmers is Soil and Water Conservation a hundred and sixty-five million acres need contour cultivation four hundred million acres of grazing land need to be relieved of overcrowding and 265 million acres need to be returned to grassland 90 million acres of farmland need protection through terracing 40 million acres need drainage legumes and rotation liming fertilizing in manuring are needed to maintain and improve the soil 3/4 of our timber land has been cut over the rest produces aa near scant half of what it should now is the time to rebuild and restore our forests now is the time to replace bad practices with good now is the time to lay the groundwork for the production of more timber more forest industries more jobs yes Soil and Water Conservation a major assignment for American farmers in the post-war world in addition to market supplied by a stable industry there will be new markets for farm products here a program of school lunches and distribution of food to low-income groups programs designed to boost our national health and well-being competition for foreign markets will be keen in the postwar years farmers have produced the highest quality at the lowest cost will ship most to foreign ports and will need foreign outlets to help consume our increased farm production industry will probably have new uses for farm products in the manufacture of synthetic plastics alcohol and other things farmers must keep informed about the demand America's farmers face the future realistically they have produced in abundance for war with the cooperation of industry science government and the people in a prosperous America they can and will produce in abundance for peace [Music] you