FARMING PAYS OFF

Series

Series Name

The March of Time 14th Year

Issue

Issue No.

12

Date Released

1949

Length of issue (in feet)

1529

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1FARMING PAYS OFF

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 1

Summary

The March of Time synopsis: This latest March of Time focuses on the prosperity enjoyed during the past decade by American farmers. This year the crops they are harvesting are the second largest in the nation’s history, and while it is egenrally known that big farmers and ranchers can live like millionaires when a small dairy farmer grosses close to $18,000 and can clear half of that amount, then it is sufficient proof, says the March of Time, that "Farming Pays Off".

The film is built around the small diversified farm of John Walker in Ohio, where the chief source of income is from 50 Jersey cows, some pigs, chickens and a small crop of wheat. It certainly is not a big holding, yet it supports Farmer Walker, a married son, and two unmarried boys - in a most comfortable way, too. The splendidly furnished kitchen in which Mrs. Walker fries her chicken and prepares other good foods from the farm is one that will bring sighs of envy from any housewife in this country. For Mrs. Walker has an electric stove, a big refrigerator, two good freezers, a washing machine and other efficient gadgets which help to make life easy. So prosperous have the Walkers been in these boom years that they now have two houses, three good cars, a fine lorry, an efficient tractor, a hay baler, a mechanical corn picker, electric milkers, and a barnful of other equipment that has done away with horses and put the farm on such a labour-saving basis that many town-dwellers will think that machines do all the work. But even with all this equipment, their life is still arduous and the family works from dawn to dusk.

The film shows a number of interesting ways in which new methods in agriculture are serving the average American family. At experimental farms government scientists are developing a new type of turkey, about half the size of the old-fashioned bird that is usually too bulky to fit into ovens or refrigerators. Although smaller, the new turkey has a high percentage of edible meat. Another development is a new breed of pig, with more lean meat and less fat, which will eventually prove of benefit to the consumer. Though happy over their successful years, American famers are becoming apprehensive about the future for they are already aware of a down trend in agricultural income. With Europe needing less and less food from America, there will soon be an insufficient market for the vast US farm output and the huge food surpluses are already presenting a problem.

Researcher Comments

This story was included in Vol.15 No.8 of the US edition.

Keywords

Agriculture

Written sources

The March of Time Promotional Material   Lobby Card, Used for synopsis

Credits:

Production Co.

Time Inc.