Farm Labor Outlook, Greencastle Daily Banner, April 3, 1942
“Farm Labor Outlook,” (Greencastle) Daily Banner, April 3, 1942, 2, accessed Hoosier State Chronicles.
LAFAYETTE, April 3 – (UP) – Anticipated shortages of farm labor, resulting from enlistments in the armed forces and attractive industrial wages, have not yet developed although Hoosier farmers have boosted land under cultivation by 10 per cent, Purdue University reports showed today.
Acreage increases over 1941, indicated by the University department of agricultural statistics and the U.S. Bureau of Agricultural Economics were: soybean, 542,000; oats, 27,000; barley, 40,000; tame hay, 5,000; corn, 197,000.
At the same time, Farm Security officials announced that 905 FSA assisted farmers have pledge an increase of 95,530 dozen eggs over last year’s output, with 7,970 producers still to be heard from.
Increased spring planting resulted from reduced winter wheat acreage and from grassland used for pasture or soil improvement in recent years, reports showed.
“However, since grazing animals have increased in numbers in recent years, there will be need for good car[e] of pastures and plans to lighten the grazing load o[f] permanent grass lands,” officials warned, pointing to the need for more grain to finish hogs and to maintain milk production.
