WHEATGROWING

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21906, 6 October 1936, Page 15

WHEATGROWING

TO THB- EDITOR OP THE PRESS. . ' Sir, —It appears to me that the question that should be asked, and answered about wheatgrpwmg is. docs the industry, as a whole pay? Speaking for the growers’ side of the question, I contend that it does not. Wheatgrowing pays where the grower has land good enough to be reasonably sure of getting 35 or more bushels an acre. But let. us take the, average yield, which 1 believe is about oZ bushels an acre. Four or five years ago it was generally conceded that it cost 4s 3d a bushel to produce a 32bushel crop. % Costs. I should say. are about the same to-day. with a very definite increase in sight. So I ask my brother farmer to reckon up for himself how much real profit there is in wheatgrowing as a whole on present prices. He should not forget to add to the cost the decreased carrying capacity of his land after growing wheat. If he is still iti doubt let him refrain from wheatqrowing and ‘put the same amount of work into growing sheep feed. He can then sit back and watch his 'arm improve and his overdraft decrease. Much has been written about the duty of the farmer to grow sufficient wheat for our needs. The business man adopts the line that pays him best; so Why should not the farmer be allowed to, do the same?— Yours, etC '’ EX WHEAT. October 4. 1938.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir.—We have been growing" wheat for the last 45 years, and we should like to give our experience. A few years ago we received 5s 6d and 6s a bushel That was not so bad. This year we have had 4s 5d with the promise of 4d more, but whether we shall get this or not remains to be seen. • , Lately we found that we were getting further into debt, so last year we kept a strict account of growing,wheat and we were Very much surprised at the cost; there was nothing In it. We intended sowing 150 acres, but when we- found out the cost we put in only 50 acres, and we arc* waiting to see how the Wheat Board will treat us this season ' ‘ . . , . Costs are going up a lot since last season. Rites, land tax. lime, harvesting, threshing, carting grain, chaffcutting, anti the cost of living, are all going up. Sullivan has promised to make up the extra cost to the wheat grower, so we are waiting to see how much extra we are going to get; blit it will need to be a big rise. The weather gets the blame for there being less wheat grown. I admit that it makes a difference, but the mam trouble isi the cost of growing wheat, I notice the baker is wanting 6s 3d an hour and the poor old wheat grower cannot get Is,—Yours, etc., WHEAT GROWER. October 3, 1936.