'Su |eB nt to [ erkins Journal"
rowers
onven
e
Ion
Ice covered roads and high-
ways tailed to cool the enthusi-
asm of Oklahoma Wheat Grow-
er Association members and
friends attending the annual
convention in Enid in Decem-
ber. "Best Ever" was the tag
Placed on the convention, which
featured outstanding speakers
Supplying an abundance of in-
formation.
Two new members were elec-
ted to the board of directors.
They included Arlo Reim of
Okeene and Dave Foster, King-
fisher.
Officers re-elected included
Karl Abernathy, Altus, presi-
dent; Elmore Bathurst, Black-
well, vice president; Ralph Ran-
son, Enid, secretary-treasurer;
and Fred Merrlfield, Enid, ex-
ecutive secretary.
The Legislative Committee
came up with probably the
strongest list of resolutions
prepared at the convention. The
committee took action in work-
ing out programs with which
wheat farmers can continue to
function successfully.
The Growers recommended
continuance of a farm program
for wheat similar to the Agri-
cultural Act of 1970. Such a
program should have provisions
for production control to keep
supply in line with anticipated
or
er'
loan rate was recommended at The Membership, Finance
at least 50 per cent of parity and Budget committee recom-
and domestic certificates mended a $9,450 budget for
should be provided to assure
parity return to each producer
for his fair share ofthedomes-
ric allotment.
Favorable action was taken to
have added set aside for wheat
and feed grain.
(A complete llst ofleglslative
1972.
The largest single item in the
budget was $2,500to the Nation-
ai Association of Wheat Grow-
ers. The Oklahoma Wheat Com-
mission, as suggested in the
committee's resolutions, con-
tinues to support NAWGo The
Commission contracts for
resolutions can be found on page $5,000 in services for the Na-
No. 4) lionel.
In a. move to assure an ade-
quate supply of agricultural
eommodlUes to meet a growing
market demandp the UJS, De.-
pertinent of. Agriculture an-
nOUnced the elimination of the
86 Percent mandatory set-aside
requirement under the 1973
Wheat program, except for those
Producers who elect to partici-
pate in the voluntary set-aside.
In Order to participate in the
VOluntary set-aside program,
these producers' will be requir-
ed to comply with the manda-
tory set-aside as well as the
VOluntary program.
Also, the Department announ-
ed that livestock grazing will be
Permitted on acreage set aside
under the provisions of the 1973
feed grain and wheat programs.
These actions clearly demon-
strafe the flexibility of the set-
aside programs, USDA officials
Said, in that it enables adjust-
merit to rapid changes in mar-
ket demand.
When the 1973 wheat program
was announced in July, 1972,
the amount of set-aside land re=
qulred for program particlpa-
t.lon was an acreage equal to 86
Percent of a farm's domestic
allotment.
Since announcement of the
Program, demand for wheat
Worldwide has developed fol-
lowing crop failures or reduc-
tmns in grain harvest through-
out much of Asia and in other
Portions of the world. Demand
for other grain crops and for
oilseed crops also has Increas-
ed heavily.
The national wheat allotment
for 1973 is 18.7 million acres.
Elimination of the required
wheat set-aside acreage will
free nearly 15 million acres
for production of crops, in-
Continued on Page 3
Volume 4, Number I
Perkins, Oklahoma 74059 January, 1973
GOVERNOR HALL HONORED--Special recognition was paid Governor David Hall by the
Oklahoma Wheat Commission and Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association during the annual
wheat convention in December. President Earl Abernathy, right, and Commission Chairman
Edwin Osmus present the governor with a plaque of the State Seal. The seal was made exclus-
ively of wheat and wheat products by Mrs. J. D. l~uls of Hutchinson, Kansas.
Better than Mid-60's
Get involved
in it!
No year in the history of
Wheat farming in Oklahoma
is more important than
1973 when a new farm pro-
gram is in the making.
Wheat remains Oklaho-
ma's No. I farm crop and
is grown by some 40,000
farmers. Every wheat
farmer needs to be amem-
her of the Oklahoma Wheat
Growers Association for
this is the organization that
WOrks most on legislative
aCtion to benefit wheat
hr mer s.
The Oklahoma Wheat
Growers Association work
closely With and supports
financially the National As-
sociation of Wheat Grow-
ers.
Add strength to the
Growers by sending inyou
membership.
If You want a wheat pro-
gram in Your area, contact
Earl Abernathy
Route 2
Ahus, Oklahoma
482-4754
The current boom in U. S.
farm commodities has a lot
Sounder basis than the short-
lived boom of the mid-196(Ts,
U. S. Assistant Secretary of
Agriculture Carroll G. Brunt-
hayer noted, millions of bush-
els of American grain were be-
ing "shipped to drought-stricken
India, and U. S. farmers were
being encouraged to gear up
production for a "world food
crisis.*'
By the late 1960~s, however,
India was having her Green
Revolution and U. S. farmers
faced production cutbacks, sur-
pluses and slumping prices.
Mr. Brunthaver points out
there are some important dif-
ferences between 1973 and the
mid 196{Fs.
First, he says, the demand
for U. S. farm products istoday
much broader and deeper than
it was in 1966-67. Then, the
surge in demand was mostly
wheat, and the import increas-
es were almost entirely in Rus-
sta and Indla. Today, U. S. farm-
ers are finding strong demand
for feed grains, oilseeds and
livestock products as well as
wheat. The demand is coming
from U. S. consumers and from
many countries around the
worl0.
Mr. Brunthaver noted that U.
S. per capita beef consumption
has risen 10 percent since 1966
--and our feed grain utilization
is up 32 million tons.
"Overseas, the changes in
our markets are even more
startling,'e he says. "Our com-
mericai exports are up 63 per
Continued on Page 6
MR. WHEAT--P72--Konneth Wilson, Alva, is presented a
~laque recognizing the hundreds of hours he has spent repre-
senting the Oklahoma Association of Wheat Growers and wheat
farmers throughout the state. The recognition was made by
Grower President Earl Abernathy.
The Association's 23rd annual
convention in Seattle was un-
questionably the best attended
and most successful meeting in
the organization's history. The
comprehensive program, which
included farm commodity
spokesmen, officals of govern-
ment, business and internation-
al organizations, drew growers
from twelve commercial wheat
producing states and three for-
etgn countries.
Delegate attention was also
directed to several impOrtant
USDA announcements. The De-
partment announced that re-
quired acreage set-aside for
wheat would he eliminated. The
voluntary additional set-aside
program will remain tmchanged,
but to participate in this pro-
gram a producer must make his
mandatory set-aslde as origin-
• lly announced by the Depart-
ment. Twelve=month grazing
with a reduction in payments
will be permitted on 1973 feed
grain acreage under both pro-
gram options. There will be no
extension of 1972 farm stored
wheat. Also, reseal will not be
extended on 1971 Durum.
Gene Moos, retiring presi-
dent, stated that the NAWG can
take considerable credit for the
fact that the U. S. had adequate
but not excessive supplies of
wheat available to meet this
year's unusual world demand
and that the efforts of the As-
sociation helped to set the stage
for todayPs exceptional wheat
prices. Food prices, he indica-
ted are higher than Just a few
months ago but they are going
to have to be higher if farmers
are going to continually in-
crease productivity. Increased
productivity, he stressed, isthe
only way an expanding popula-
tion is going to meet growing
food needs at reasonable prices.
Moos indicated his deep con-
cern that possible pressure will
~orce government planners to
throw open production valuesin
an attempt to return food prices
to the levels of several months
ago. He said full agricultural
production under normal weath-
er conditions would lead to price
depressing surpluses within two
years and he emphasized tbat
agriculture's opportunity for
market orientation would go
down the drain with such a de-
velopment. Regarding market
orientation, the retiring NAWG
president said that it should
mean to agriculture the same
tiring it means to industry--that
is, regulating production to
those market needs which will
reflect a reasonable return.
Producers attending the con-
Continued on Page 3
