Farmers do business with the Secretary of Agriculture, and they have learned long ago that you can't do business with Benson.

The plain fact of the matter is that Mr. Nixon does not understand the farm problem any more than Mr. Benson.

We will encourage the economical production of timber for the Nation's homes and industry by giving the small forest owner and small logger an even break-through providing forest products price reporting by the Department of Agriculture.

I believe that the information, the statistical, political, commercial, industrial information that a farmer needs today in order to conduct his business properly can be gained only by day-by-day access to the best possible information on these subjects that there is obtainable.

This year the soil bank is retiring over 12 million acres and earning a half million farmers more than $260 million.

We must and do make good use of that valuable tool--price supports.

I now request Congress to pass a straight Soil Bank Bill as promptly as possible.

I am ready to sign a sound Soil Bank Act as soon as Congress sends it to me.

We now have sound and forward-looking legislation in the Agricultural Act of 1954.

Our farm families are suffering reduced incomes.

A study is being initiated to analyze the whole problem of disposal of our agricultural surpluses.

I return herewith, without my approval, H. R. 5188, 'To prohibit publication by the Government of the United States of any prediction with respect to apple prices.'

When you have the mission of getting hold of the information, not only about the farm programs, but the things that will interest the whole farm community, you are doing a tremendously great service.

The prosperity of the agricultural community is absolutely necessary to the prosperity of the nation.

I am tempted to talk for just a moment about the most important crop of all in this country: yourselves.

I do not favor the enactment of Federal legislation with respect to the subject matter of the Convention (No. 101) and corresponding Recommendation (No. 93) concerning holidays with pay in agriculture, the Recommendation (No. 94) concerning consultation and cooperation between employers and workers at the level of the undertaking, and the Recommendation (No. 98) concerning holidays with pay, so far as it relates to private employment.

John Sparkman was the son of a tenant farmer in Alabama; and if there's anything he doesn't understand about agriculture, I can't imagine what it is.

Today, the Federal crop insurance program is still operated by those same farmer-elected committeemen.