AFTER RECESS The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Our first witness is Mr. Howard Eastman. You may give us your name in full, please, and your occupation. STATEMENT OF HOWARD EASTMAN, VERMONT CERTIFIED SEED & POTATO GROWERS ASSOCIATION, HARDWICK, VT. Mr. EASTMAN. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Howard Eastman, and I am a farmer from Hardwick, Vt., and a member of the Vermont Certified Seed & Potato Growers Association, which represents about 95 percent of the commercial potato producers in Vermont. The potato growers have drafted the following statement relative to what we feel the Congress should do for agriculture in the United States. Some of those recommendations have been covered, but I think that we are in disagreement with some of them, so probably I had better read them. There are only two pages. The CHAIRMAN. I wish that you would. What is your market, to the northeast here? Mr. EASTMAN. Primarily our market is within the State. We are a deficit potato-producing State, that is, in other words, we consume more than we produce. The CHAIRMAN. In Vermont? Mr. EASTMAN. Here in Vermont. So, perhaps, it makes our situation somewhat peculiar to that, for instance, of our neighbor, Maine. We have also growers who grow a considerable amount of certified seed. Of course, the bulk of it is exported primarily south for seed. 1. PRICE SUPPORT PROGRAMS The Federal Government should withdraw from the operation of handling agricultural commodities. The entire price-support program should be removed in an orderly fashion and as soon as practical. In the event that price supports are continued then the program should be geared to low flexible price supports. Any diverted acreage which may be taken out of production under Federal control programs should be restricted to the production of crops or products which will not be sold or enter into commercial channels in any form whatsoever. If a surplus commodity purchasing program is continued it should be conducted in such a manner as to assure that the higher quality produce reaches the consumer. 2. MARKETING AGREEMENT We are not opposed to the present law relative to marketing agreements on an area basis, but these laws should be strictly enforced where in effect. 3. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT The present program of potato breeding should be expanded and stepped up toward the development of a high-quality potato which could be readily produced by modern production methods. A broader study of adaptability of potato varieties to various potato growing areas is needed. More research is needed on potato marketing along the lines of effective mercantile methods; including effective advertising, consumer preference and additional uses for potatoes in other forms of consumption. 4. INSECT AND DISEASE CONTROL The present research program on insect and disease control in potatoes should be continued. The possibility of eradicating various insects and diseases has been demonstrated in the past. The golden nematode is a serious threat to the existence of the potato industry in the United States, and we feel that the present golden nematode program should be stepped up and every reasonable effort made to eradicate the golden nematode from the United States. A similar program is recommended for the potato-rot nematode. 5. CONSERVATION We recommend that a study of the present conservation program be made and that reclamation of land be halted in instances where such reclaimed land will be put into production of agricultural products where surpluses already exist. 6. ICC AND TRIP LEASING In view of the present trend toward monopoly on the part of trucking enterprises in handling and transporting agricultural commodities we urge that Congress pass Senate bill 898, which provides for the practice of trip leasing for the purpose of permitting the movement of agricultural produce and supplies by independent motor carrier as an efficient and practical business expedient. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. Are there any questions? Senator HOLLAND. Yes, sir. I notice that your section on marketing agreements says that you favor marketing agreements on a regional basis. Mr. EASTMAN. That is right. Senator HOLLAND. Do you mean on a regional basis only? Senator HOLLAND. Are you in the New England marketing agreement, that is, excluding Maine, in the New England potato market? Mr. EASTMAN. We operate under the no-marketing agreement at this time. We have in the past operated under a marketing agreement which was very lax, I think handled that way. I think it was in connection with some of the tail end of the support program, and we do not feel in our immediate area in general the marketing agreement fits our needs. We have no objections to those who live in areas where they feel they need them. I think the reason for that is because, as I stated before, we are a deficit producing area. Senator HOLLAND. How many members does your organization have? Mr. EASTMAN. Our secretary is in the room. He might be able to answer that question. He told me a few minutes ago that our acreage is about 2,000 acres. Senator HOLLAND. What is the number of members? Mr. EASTMAN. That is both. Our mailing list goes to about, I think they told me 85. Senator HOLLAND. 2,000 acres covers your production of potatoes? Mr. EASTMAN. Right. That is commercial potatoes. Of course, there are little patches here and there. Senator AIKEN. That is true of some of your members? Mr. EASTMAN. The rank and file-an acre or a half acre or something. Senator HOLLAND. Thank you. The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further questions? If not, thank you, sir. Is Mr. Angevine present? (No response.) Mr. Howe? Please come forward and give us your name in full. STATEMENT OF W. W. GRIFFIN, PRESIDENT, VERMONT STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, BURLINGTON, VT. Mr. GRIFFIN. Mr. Chairman and members, I am W. W. Griffin, and if you will permit this digression The CHAIRMAN. Are you representing Mr. Howe? Mr. GRIFFIN. Mr. Howe is represeting me. The CHAIRMAN. Where is Mr. Howe? Mr. GRIFFIN. Mr. Howe is politicking. The CHAIRMAN. You are submitting Mr. Howe's statement? The CHAIRMAN. With which you are in agreement? Mr. GRIFFIN. Right. The CHAIRMAN. Are there any other members present who have the same ideas as you have as to the subject you are going to talk about? Mr. GRIFFIN. I will qualify that, sir. The secretary of our association is here. I am acting for the society as its president. Mr. Howe was our legislative representative. I called him up some 2 weeks ago and he contacted other horticultural associations throughout the New England area and tried to get their reactions to what we put forth. Mr. Howe was called away and our secretary got in touch with him night before last in Burlington and got such material from him as he could and the secretary and I drew up this very brief statement here, which I will read to you. There are only five brief notations here. Senator HOLLAND. For whom do you speak? Mr. GRIFFIN. For the Vermont State Horticultural Society. It has approximately 160 members, who mostly are commercial applegrowers. We have a few small fruitgrowers. The following items represent the interests of the commercial applegrowers of Vermont and are for introduction into the record of the committee hearings: No. 1: Development of increased export markets to the fullest extent possible for apples suited for export purposes. On that subject I am not qualified to speak much. All I do know is that 25 years ago, in the early thirties, we had quite an export market for hard apples, particularly to England. At the present time, we have a very small export market. Our own New York and New England Apple Institute this year has had numerous inquiries from Scandinavian countries regarding importation of American apples. Such information as I have been able to pick up is that the setup is not correct, so that we could afford to do it. Whether it is the exchange or not, I do not know. The CHAIRMAN. They do not have any dollars to buy them with, that is the trouble. Mr. GRIFFIN. Thank you. No. 2: Commercial applegrowers favor the continuation of freedom from Federal subsidy or production controls of any kind. The CHAIRMAN. You never have had them; have you? Mr. GRIFFIN. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. We will not give them to you. [Applause.] No. 3: Favorable support be given for increased appropriations to the Department of Commerce for the purpose of increasing the coverage of the services of the Weather Bureau to the producers of agricultural crops. At the present time, we are getting a great deal. Much of that is due to the fact that our extension departments have educated the growers to read weather predictions and weather maps. If there were weather maps available on a quicker notice, the average grower would find it of great benefit. The CHAIRMAN. Are you ready to meet the freeze in the event that one comes? Mr. GRIFFIN. Hurricanes, freeze, rain. The CHAIRMAN. How is that? Mr. GRIFFIN. Freeze, hurricane, rain. We base our production on the low-pressure areas in the Middle West and the rate of speed the weather is traveling. If we have that on the weather map, and we know how fast they will travel, it helps. A cyclonic storm has a rather given rate of speed, and knowing the position of that storm, which way it can go, it can split for our area and go up the St. Lawrence or go south. The CHAIRMAN. What good would it do you if you knew about it, but could not do anything about it? Mr. GRIFFIN. We can do something about it. The CHAIRMAN. That is what I want to know. What can you do about it after you know it? I can well understand if a freeze is predicted and you have smudge pots to warm up your orchards, that you might do something, but suppose you do not have that, what good will that knowledge be to you? Mr. GRIFFIN. I believe that the largest single factor with the applegrower, that he has to contend with, is scab. Scab is promoted by wetting period. Some of the various materials are preventive. Some of them have a kickback. We have to time our sprays according to wetting periods, temperature, and humidity. When we have the information ahead of time, as to when we are going to get a wetting period and what temperature it will be, we will get on ahead and work day and night to have the coverage, rather than to go at it from the kickback standard. The CHAIRMAN. What if the Weather Bureau makes a mistake? That is the great difficulty we have had. Mr. GRIFFIN. That is one of the things we bear up under. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Holland happens to be chairman of the subcommittee for appropriations that provides all of that money. We have heard many stories along that line. Mr. GRIFFIN. I have not stressed the hurricane side of it, because I know that Mr. Pero from Connecticut will go into that a little bit more. And I was avoiding duplication. No. 4: Reconsideration of existing social-security regulations for the purpose of simplifying the burden of maintaining records for itinerant or short-term employees. The CHAIRMAN. That is within the jurisdiction of another committee. Mr. GRIFFIN. You know what I mean then. The CHAIRMAN. I know what you mean. Mr. GRIFFIN. We will drop that one then. going to like. This one you are not The CHAIRMAN. I am ready for anything. Mr. GRIFFIN. No. 5: Consideration be given to forego apple crop reporting and price forecasting by the Agricultural Marketing Service, avoid duplication of a service which is already being adequately and accurately provided by industry-sponsored privately owned organizations. The CHAIRMAN. I think there was something put in the law by Senator Robertson from Virginia. Are you familiar with that? That is another time that Congress tried to help you and the President vetoed it. The Congress agreed with you there. We put into the law the very thing you are suggesting. Congress did it, sure, but the President vetoed it. Senator HOLLAND. I do not believe we understood correctly what he said. He did not want any public interference with that, wanted the private agencies to continue supplying the service. Mr. GRIFFIN. I had reference exactly to what Senator Ellender mentioned on the bill that went through Congress and was vetoed but the President must have had to have advice on that. The CHAIRMAN. We will try again next time. Senator AIKEN. That proposal came up very quickly, as I recall it, one day. I do not think that the Members of Congress had opportunity to give it too much consideration, but we passed it, anyway. Mr. GRIFFIN. Congress passed it; yes, sir. The food industry and the apple growers as a whole are in the same boat. That is, like before Congress passed it. It was vetoed. It is still status quo? The CHAIRMAN. You would have liked Mr. GRIFFIN. I would liked to have seen it passed, that is, the industry would. The CHAIRMAN. It will be necessary for us to put it into law, if we can, in the hope that the President will sign it. Mr. GRIFFIN. That is right. Senator AIKEN. Let us ask what the reason for your position is. Is it that you feel that the industry's predictions and prognostications are more accurate than the Government predictions? Mr. GRIFFIN. I can answer that with two specific instances. These are personal. For instance, the 1954 apple crop was not too large. The McIntosh crop of New England was not large. There was an article that came out the third week in September in the Wall Street Journal, |