AGRICULTURAL RELIEF 
601 
Mr. Yoakum. Yes, sir. Five cents an acre, the acreage member- 
ship fees, covering the entire wheat-growing area of the country 
would amount to $2,900,000. An increase in the price of 50 cents a 
bushel, which ought to be easily obtained under systematized mar- 
keting and stabilized prices, would increase the wheat growers’ 
income $400,000,000, based upon 800,000,000 bushels of wheat, 
which is about our general average crop. That includes seed wheat, 
which takes off an additional 77,000,000 bushels, but it is necessary, 
of course, in carrying on that business. 
The farmers are sensible. Man for man I will back them for their 
intelligence and appreciation—and that is growing all the time with 
them now—with any class or element of business or industrial activity 
in this country. 
I happen to know the farmers fairly well. I believe the farmers 
of Toledo will tell you that. I have been talking to them now over 
24 years. I have made 150 talks before them. I keep in constant 
touch with them, all the time, and I say that if they can see big results 
with small expenditures, you can depend upon them to stand by the 
marketing organization and maintain their membership. Of course, 
in this case, 1f they should become a factor in the solution of this 
business, the farmers would have to stand by it. 
Mr. Apkins. Would you propose making that 5 cents per acre 
mandatory? 
Mr. Yoakum. It might be, in working this out, found to be more 
practicable to place it on the bushel basis. But this fixes the amount 
to be—— 
Mr. Apxins. That is not material, but my point is, would you 
make that mandatory or voluntary? 
Mr. Yoakum. As to membership, it will have to be voluntary. 
But they would have to pay it, if that was put up. I am not so cer- 
tain about that. This problem has so many angles that you think one 
thing out and think you are right, and then it stumbles and then 
you go back and start over again. But from all my figuring I believe 
that an acreage on wheat would be the most desirable for member- 
ship. It gives them a membership, this membership belongs to their 
organization. These fees would go into their treasury, of course 
and it would be a little help in the beginning. But I want to say I 
am not tied to this as against other suggestions. 
Give them a broad, constructive enabling law that will enable 
them to establish a marketing system as efficient as that of other 
industries; give them authority to organize and sell their products at 
fair stabilized prices under control; put them in a position where they 
can obtain through the Federal reserve banks—this has been a great 
thing against the farmers—on equal terms with other industries, the 
credits which the value of their products justify, and they can finance 
the entire marketing proposition themselves and reap large profits. 
I know you have had some experience in that; you know that can 
be done if they are organized. 
Mr. KINCHELOE. Yes. i 
Mr. Yoakum. Farm commodity marketing can be established for 
only a fraction of what other plans would cost. Mr. Chairman, if 
[ am talking too long you will call my attention to it. No large 
Federal appropriations are involved; no elaborate governmental 
machinery of administration and enforcement.