Relation of Farm Purchasing Power, General Recovery, and Northeastern Agriculture

Excerpt from the report: As is to be expected the rise in prices paid by farmers since the low point of this depression has in general been somewhat smaller than the rise for the country as a whole. Among five groups of commodities purchased by farmers—fertilizer, feed, farm implements, food and clothing —the sharpest advance occurred in feeds. In this group the advance between September 1932 and September 1934 has been somewhat more than 70 percent for the U. S. as a whole, while for the Northeastern States the advance has been about 47 percent. Selected items of food and clothing have advanced about 30 percent in price for the country as a whole but 25 percent in the Northeastern States. Fertilizer and farm implement prices are now slightly higher than they were in 1932 for farm areas as a whole, but in the Northeastern States they are somewhat lower. Farm wages now average 10 percent higher in all agricultural areas combined and about 7 percent higher in the Northeastern States.