Word: croppings
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Soviet Union is suffering from its worst food shortages since the crop failures of 1963-as Agriculture Minister Vladimir Matskevich recently acknowledged. Such admissions are rare. As Russian trade officials in Washington pressed last week for rapid delivery of 11 million tons of American wheat and other foodstuffs, the Soviet press maintained silence about the $ 1.5 billion worth of agricultural produce the U.S.S.R. has contracted to purchase from the West through June...
Distribution of part of these purchases is expected soon to alleviate scarcities of staple foods, especially bread. The Russians intend to mill the fine-quality American and Canadian wheat for flour. Their own sparse grain crop will be used to provide cattle feed. But present shortages of feed have forced the Soviets to slaughter precious livestock herds that are insufficient even in the best of times. Although this may provide a temporary bonanza of meat this winter, it will also diminish supplies of dairy products...
...country's inefficient system of production and distribution. In 1971-72, European Russia was bedeviled by a freak winter, when little snow fell to insulate seeds against record spells of frost. This was followed by a drought during the hottest summer of the century. The resulting crop damage and late harvest taxed the Soviets' inadequate technology to the breaking point. Trucks, harvesting machinery, railroad cars, granaries and manpower all seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...
...Middle Eastern leaders. Recently published as Dear Israelis, Dear Arabs (Harper & Row; $6.95), the letters make many specific proposals, for example, that Israel make a sample withdrawal in part of the Sinai to demonstrate how general rapprochement might work. Fisher's undertakings have caused his name to crop up so often in cable traffic that the U.S. State Department once asked him to lie low temporarily to avoid confusion with some suggestions...
...Tractor. In the Byzantine world of farm economics, prosperity does not necessarily depend on record production. In fact the Agriculture Department estimates that total crop production in 1972 will be about 1% less than last year. But since many crops were in oversupply last year, prices were down. This year, by contrast, the market belongs to the farmer. Tobacco auctioneers in North Carolina, where the crop was kept short by the weather, are being forced to ration tobacco at premium prices among customers; in effect the auctions, though performed for custom's sake, are a sham. In California...