Excerpt: Agricultural production was larger this year than last. Output of crops was slightly smaller, but this was more than offset by the increased production of hogs and livestock products. In addition, large quantities of wheat, cotton, and feed grains had been carried over from preceding years as a safeguard against possible shortages due to drought and other damages. The abundant supplies of feed at relatively low prices were drawn upon in the emergency of drought that destroyed pastures over wide areas in New England and Western States, and the large supply of wheat is a backlog against the short winter wheat crop to be harvested next summer. Crop yields per acre were unusually good in the central and eastern Corn Belt, but were seriously reduced by drought from, southern North Dakota and eastern Wyoming south through central Texas. Another area of low yields extended from the Gulf into Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. The only "bumper" crops were tobacco and soybeans: Tobacco, 1.7 billion pounds compared with 1.4 billion in 1938; soybeans, 80 million bushels compared with 58 million in 1938. The corn crop - 2.6 billion bushels - was the third largest in 10 years.
