Beyond the relief feeding period, there will still be substantial foreign outlets for our farm commodities.  The chief dependence of the farmer, however, as always, must be upon the buying power of our own people.

The first obligation of the Government to agriculture for the reconversion period is to make good on its price-support commitments.  This we intend to do, with realistic consideration for the sound patterns of production that will contribute most to the long-time welfare of agriculture and the whole Nation.  The period during which prices are supported will provide an opportunity for farmers individually to strengthen their position in changing over from a wartime to a peacetime basis of production.  It will provide an opportunity for the Congress to review the needs of agriculture and make changes in national legislation where experience has shown changes to be needed.  In this connection, the Congress will wish to consider legislation to take the place of the 1937 Sugar Act which expires at the end of this year.  During this period we must do a thorough job of basic planning to the end that agriculture shall be able to contribute its full share toward a healthy national economy.

Our long-range agricultural policies should have two main objectives:  First, to assure the people on the farms a fair share of the national income; and, second, to encourage an agricultural production pattern that is best fitted to the Nation’s needs.  To accomplish this second objective we shall have to take into consideration changes that have taken place and will continue to take place in the production of farm commodities—­changes that affect costs and efficiency and volume.

What we seek ultimately is a high level of food production and consumption that will provide good nutrition for everyone.  This cannot be accomplished by agriculture alone.  We can be certain of our capacity to produce food, but we have often failed to distribute it as well as we should and to see that our people can afford to buy it.  The way to get good nutrition for the whole Nation is to provide employment opportunities and purchasing power for all groups that will enable them to buy full diets at market prices.

Wherever purchasing power fails to reach this level we should see that they have some means of getting adequate food at prices in line with their ability to buy.  Therefore, we should have available supplementary programs that will enable all our people to have enough of the right kind of food.

For example, one of the best possible contributions toward building a stronger, healthier Nation would be a permanent school-lunch program on a scale adequate to assure every school child a good lunch at noon.  The Congress, of course, has recognized this need for a continuing school-lunch program and legislation to that effect has been introduced and hearings held.  The plan contemplates the attainment of this objective with a minimum of Federal expenditures.  I hope that the legislation will be enacted in time for a permanent program to start with the beginning of the school year next fall.