The International Federation of Agricultural Producers

FOR many years the four national farm organizations-The National Grange, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives-have been interested in the promotion of increased world trade-particularly increased farm exports. Evidence of this has been shown by the interest and positions taken by these organizations with respect to such legislation as the McNaryHaugen plan, the various export debenture plans, the reciprocal trade proposals and the proposed tariff bills. More recently World War II has called to our attention the importance of international agricultural policy. At the same time, there has been a growing concern on the part of the farm organizations regarding the attitude of the U. S. government, particularly the State Department, on matters affecting foreign trade of farm products. This is particularly true with respect to the activities of the State Department in planning the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Trade Organization (ITO). In planning and conducting the Hot Springs Conference in 1943, out of which grew the plans for FAO, the national farm organizations of the United States were ignored and evaded by the U. S. State Department and the President. The result was concern on the part of farm organizations as to the future of American foreign policy with reference to agriculture. Shortly thereafter the U. S. State Department announced plans for an international trade organization, the principal objective of which was to reduce trade barriers. Again farm organizations felt that the State Department evaded them in evolving plans for the ITO. The result was a suspicion that agriculture might receive the brunt of trade barrier reductions as compared with other forms of American business. The position of the farm organizations was not that of opposing the main features of the FAO or the ITO