Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "165976790",
    "label": "Memorandum from Paul A. Porter to President Harry S. Truman",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/165976790"
}

{
    "id": "165976790",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/165976790",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum from Paul A. Porter to President Harry S. Truman",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/165976790",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "General Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602190/876512/876512-02-001.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602190/876512/876512-02-001.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602190/876512/876512-02-001.jpg",
    "imageCount": 5,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/165976790",
    "naId": 165976790,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 11,
            "logicalDate": "1946-07-11",
            "month": 7,
            "year": 1946
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602190/876512/876512-02-004.jpg",
    "mediaId": "7252212565286a29",
    "ocrText": "4 -\nARCKIVER RECORDS SERVICK AKD\nAlthough there might be some easing in feed supplies and prices when\nthe new corn crop comes in, this situation would be quite temporary as\nlivestock feeders who buy feed would compete with each other and with dairy\nand poultry producers for the tight feed supplies in commercial channels.\nGrain ceilings could not be made effective in the face of a rapidly spread-\ning black market, and acute shortages in the deficit feed areas whose\nsupplies must come through commercial channels. Grain eeilings would have\nto be removed, and the intense competition of grain users would quickly bid\nup grain prices. Furthermore, in spite of regulations the feed use of wheat\nwould be heavy.\nEvidently grain prices would eventually rise to the point where margins\nof livestock and poultry producers were squeesed enough to force substantial\nliquidation of excess animals and poultry. These high grain prices might\nalso squeese the margins of dairy producers and some grain precessors.\n(3) Jullification of the government program for orderly reduction of\nlivestock and poultry poculation.\nLast March when ve were hit by the combined effects of a domestic feed\nshortage and of urgent grain export needs, the government approved an increase\nin the price of all grains, with the sharpest increase in the basic feed grain,\ncorn. The Department of Agriculture also announced reduced production in goals\nfor livestock and poultry. The major purpose of those higher feed grain and\nprotein feed price increases was to make livestock and poultry production\nless profitable and thereby encourage some liquidation. The basic fact was\nthat the livestock and peultry pepulation was consuming more feed at the\ncurrent heavy feeding rates, encouraged by favorable prices, than the feed ve\nhad available or would have available out of 1946 erops. This was based on\nthe assumption that relatively little wheat could be available for feed use\nout of the 1946 crop because of a commitment to export 250,000,000 bushels\nout of that crop for famine relief.\nAt the time of the grain price increases it was stated emphatically that\nno offsetting price increases would be made for livestock, poultry or egge\nexcept as required by an advance of the parity index. The removal of price\ncontrol on these products would negate that announcement and the plan behind\nit. Livestock production would become more profitable except to the extent\nthat it vas offset by grain price advances.\nThe probable first effects of decontrol would be to encourage farmere\nto expend livestock and poultry numbers, for farmers change production plans\naccording to the profitability of current prices rather than of prospective\nprices. Furthermore during the fall when feed supplies are usually high\nseasonally, profitable livestock prices would encourage heavy feeding rates."
}