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COUNTIES IN COMMERCIAL CORN-PRODUCING AREAS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1958

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENTAL
ADMINISTRATION AND CROP INSURANCE

OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE,

Washington, D. C.

The subcommittee met at 10:10 a. m., pursuant to notice, in room 1310, New House Office Building, Hon. John L. McMillan (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives McMillan (presiding), Jones, Watts, and Johnson.

Also present: Francis M. LeMay, staff consultant; Mabel C. Downey, clerk.

Mr. MCMILLAN (presiding). The committee will come to order. Gentlemen of the committee, this meeting was called for the purpose of trying to clarify a section of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as it pertains to commercial corn areas.

Would you gentlemen from the Department like to come up to the witness chairs?

Would you identify yourself for the record, I would like to have them for the record.

Mr. POLLOCK. I am Raymond J. Pollock, Director of the Grain Division of CCS.

Mr. WALKER. I am Thomas B. Walker, Chief of the Program Analysis Branch, Grain Division.

Mr. MCMILLAN. Since last November I have been bombarded by the people of my district who were placed in the commercial corn area this year for the first time. I also have a number of letters from farmers in that area including the Farm Bureau, the Grange, and the ASC committees of both counties, which have been affected, which will be made a part of the record at this point. (The documents referred to are as follows:)

Hon. JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

DILLON COUNTY FARM BUREAU,
Dillon, S. C., February 1, 1958.

House Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR CONGRESSMAN: In reply to your letter of January 25, 1958, requesting information concerning corn allotments in Dillon County as related to population of people, cattle, poultry, and hogs, we have compiled this information as nearly correct as we could possibly do so.

It will be noted from information contained herein that the farm people in Dillon County will have approximately 44,000 acres of land, of which some thirty-two to forty thousand in previous years have been planted to corn; but, in 1958, the corn allotment is only 15,700 acres.

Records indicate that farmers in Dillon County normally plant between thirtytwo to forty thousand acres of corn; but, in setting up the corn allotments, the base was established of 26,000 acres and the allotted 15,700 acres of corn to

Dillon County was derived from that 26,000 acres which is considerably less corn than farmers actually planted or turned in.

It is also noted that corn acreages planted by farmers in Dillon County, ranging from the above-mentioned thirty-two to forty thousand acres did not include silage; but under the present corn allotments as they are, silage will have to be included in the 15,700 acres allotment that has been imposed upon farmers in Dillon County. It is felt by the farm people, Farm Bureau, Grange, and lending institutions in Dillon County that the corn allotments as they now stand will work a severe hardship on our farm people.

We feel that the present allotments are not adequate to take care of the needs as used for food for human consumption, to feed livestock and work animals used as necessary in our farm operations.

We sincerely hope that you, as a Member of the National Congress, with the help of the other Members of our South Carolina delegation, will do your utmost to give the farm people some relief from a situation that has been imposed upon them over which they had no control. It is believed that the law, as it exists, whereby any county joining a commercial corn county that receives a certain amount of corn can be designated by the Secretary of Agriculture as a commercial county, is not in the best interest of the farm people in South Carolina.

We sincerely hope that if it is not possible to have this law changed at this time, certainly some amendments will be made or the law changed at a future date and at the present time even more important is to raise the allotted acres in Dillon County and to have silage excluded that we might take care of our dairymen and milk producers.

I hope that this information will be of assistance to you and your committee and if I can be of any further service to you, I shall be glad to do so.

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Number of family dairy cattle__

Number of commercial dairy cattle (on 12 dairy farms) ___.

Total_

A ores 22, 100

7, 448 13,000 115, 000 13, 500

1

500

11,500

11,000

13,000

13,000

11,000

1

15,000

66, 048

535, 500 504,000 4,000

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As surveyed by county ASC committee, approximately 42,000 acres reported of corn. Agriculture Department would not accept this figure. Committee reduced figure to 32,522 acres to have it accepted, but feels that actual acreage was nearer 42,000 than to 32,000. The State ASC office accepted 32,000 acres but set up a base to establish 1958 corn allotment in Dillon County at 26,000

acres.

Sileage corn counted against allotment of corn but no credit given us in survey or allotments. We feel that silage corn should be counted as it is never

harvested.

DILLON, S. C., January 13, 1958.

I am stall feeding 60 head of cattle. For the last 3 years I have planted an average of 40 acres of corn.

For the 1958 farming I have received an allotment of 14.9 acres of corn, which is not sufficient to feed my cattle.

I feel that this small allotment is unjust.

Subject: Corn allotment, farm No. 7092.

W. L. BETHEA.

DILLON, S. C., January 15, 1958.

My corn allotment of 7.9 acres is less than one-third of acreage that I normally plant.

For the past 3 years I had to start raising hogs to supplement my income because of the acreage cuts in tobacco and cotton. During this 3-year period I improved my breeding stock until now I have all registered stock-and no corn. If possible please raise my allotment to 15 acres. This would still be a 25 percent cut.

Dillon County farmers did not ask or vote for corn acreage controls and it has placed undue hardship on me and other Dillon County farmers.

DAN E. SESSIONS.

DILLON, S. C., January 14, 1958. I have been planting 23 acres of corn: feeding 50 hogs and 4 mules. Now I am allowed to plant only 7.9 acres (allotment). I feel that I have been cut too much and that this will not be sufficient amount of corn to feed my livestock.

Hon. JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

Member of Congress,

House Office Building, Washington, D. C.

GERTRUDE N. MOODY. By: CURTIS R. MOODY, Jr.

THE DILLON Co., Dillon, S. C., January 15, 1958.

DEAR MR. MCMILLAN: We come in contact with many farmers daily. A few days ago the local ASC office mailed out 1958 corn-acreage allotments.

To be sure, these farmers are customers of ours, and we are, of course, concerned with their welfare. Since receiving their corn allotments, the complaints have been unprecedented. Somehow or other, a farmer feels that planting corn is an inherent right. From corn he gets his cornbread, hominy grits, feeds his chickens, his hogs, and mules. His cotton and tobacco is 100 percent sold at the market, and he can readily understand surplus supply. But he feels that corn is basic in his livelihood, and that severe cuts from what he has been planting is unjust.

Have heard so many complaints that I thought it worthwhile to pass on to your office the recorded personal comments of just a few of the Dillon County farmers.

Yours very truly,

PAUL D. SLOAN, Manager. HAMER, S. C., January 13, 1958.

Hon. JOHN L. MCMILLAN.

Congressman, Sixth Congressional District,

House Office Building, Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. MCMILLAN: My family and I work 43 acres of land. The cotton and tobacco cuts in the last few years have made it hard to make a living on the farm; however, as long as I could plant enough corn to feed my livestock (2

mules, 3 cows, 16 hogs, and 100 chickens) and have some left for hominy grits and cornmeal to feed my family of 10. I could get by. But, with the corn allotment which cuts my usual acreage by about 10 acres, I do not see how I can maintain myself and family on the farm.

Unless we can get more allotment for corn, or the allotment program thrown out altogether, there will be a great hardship on the small farmer who is dependent upon farming for a living.

Can you help us?

Yours very truly,

ALPHONSO MCDANIEL.

DILLON, S. C., January 14, 1958.

I farm 112 acres of land. I have 30 cows, 20 hogs, and 5 mules and horses. I usually plant 35 acres of corn each year. My allotment for this year is 15 acres, and I cannot possibly feed my livestock on that small acreage of corn. In addition to my livestock mentioned above, my tenants also have cows, mules, and hogs which will have to be taken care of out of corn allotment.

Re Horry County corn allotments
Congressman JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

R. D. COTTINGHAM.

PEE DEE FARMS CORP., Galivants Ferry, S. C., December 12, 1957.

Florence, S. C.

DEAR MR. JOHN: Thank you for your letter of December 6, about Horry and Dillon Counties being designated as commercial-corn counties.

I neglected stating in my letter of December 4 the main fact that we farmers feel has been overlooked; namely, we are not allowed to vote for or against corn allotments.

You know that the cotton farmers vote on cotton allotments and tobacco farmers vote on tobacco allotments. Now, regardless of the law, what is the difference in not being allowed to vote on corn allotments? With the season's greetings, I am, Sincerely yours,

JOSEPH W. HOLLIDAY.

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Columbia, December 11, 1957.

Hon. JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

Florence, S. C.

DEAR CONGRESSMAN MCMILLAN: I am writing you in regard to Horry County being declared a commercial-corn area by the United States Department of Agriculture.

As you know, Horry County is composed of approximately 7,000 small farmers, and their tobacco acreage having been cut almost 40 percent over the past 3 years, as well as very small acreage in cotton and peanuts, most farmers have been planting corn and other small grains to feed their livestock in order to make a livelihood for them and their family.

Horry County has never made a practice of selling very much corn on the commercial market. It seems the only reason the Department has offered for declaring it as a commercial-corn area is because it adjoins a commercial-corn county in North Carolina.

I would like to urge you, in behalf of the farmers of Horry County, to do all that is in your power to get the Department of Agriculture to rescind their order, thereby giving the farmers of Horry County at least enough freedom to plant corn as they have in the past.

With kindest personal regards and best wishes for the Christmas season and new year, I remain

Yours very truly,

J. EUGENE ALTMAN.

BETHEA COAL & DISTRIBUTING CO., INC.,
Dillon, S. C., January 17, 1958.

Hon. JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

Congressman Sixth Congressional District,

House Office Building, Washington, D. C.

DEAR CONGRESSMAN: The last move by the ASC office in our State to place corn under an allotment program in Dillon County has begun to produce undue hardship on many of our customers, and farmer friends. We humbly beg, solicit, and demand that some action be taken to give our people some relief on this situation.

From the various stories presented to me by farmers of our county, it appears that they will be able to plant about 40 percent of the corn that they have been planting in the past years. In many cases this is not enough acreage to allow a landowner and his tenants to produce enough corn to feed themselves, let alone some hogs, mules and other livestock.

Not only is the above a severe hardship, but if the farmer desires to participate in any phase of the soil bank he must remain within his corn acreage allotment to receive any payments. In other words he is in danger of double jeopardy from the fact that he cannot produce enough for home consumption, and at the same time participate in the soil-bank program.

We are in position to furnish you with numerous copies of cases of farmers that are in difficulty due to the above situation.

In closing, I would appreciate what efforts are necessary on your part to rectify this deplorable situation.

Very truly yours,

THOMAS C. BETHEA.

LATTA MILLING & GRAIN Co.,

Hon. JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

Congressman, Sixth Congressional District,

House Office Building, Washington, D. O.

Latta, S. C., January 17, 1958.

DEAR CONGRESSMAN: We would like to call your attention to the latest move by the ASC office, in which they placed corn under an allotment in Dillon County. This is working a hardship on our customers and farmer friends, and we would like to request that some action be taken to give relief on this situation.

From the numerous cases presented to me regarding the above in our county, It appears that they will not be able to plant near enough for their home consumption, not taking into consideration the hogs, mules, and other livestock.

The farmer is in danger of double jeopardy due to the fact that he cannot produce enough corn for his home consumption, but if he wishes to participate in the soil bank in any phase he must remain within his corn acreage in order to receive any payments.

We are prepared to furnish you with numerous cases of farmers that are in difficulty due to the above situation.

May we request again that some action be taken on the above to give the farmer relief?

Thanking you in advance for your efforts in our behalf, we are,

Very truly yours,

A. V. BETHEA, Jr.

DILLON, S. C., January 3, 1958.

Mr. JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. MCMILLAN : Just 1 year ago I wrote you concerning "we poor South Carolina farmers." I do appreciate your interest in the farmers.

Well, this time it's corn. The way corn is cut is awful and a disgrace. The farmers were in line at the agricultural building in Dillon this morning.

I am cut from 18 acres to 6 acres. What would 6 acres do for 2 big mules, 4 hogs, chickens, and bread for table? Now, I am a sharecropper, really nothing for me, but my tenants are people who have to be cared for, and they look to me.

22857-58-2

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