Chapter 3: Chapter 3 An early meeting in Berlin
September 1, 1934 Berlin
When Agriculture Minister Richard Darré (RD) and his deputy Herbert Backe (HB) enter, I greet them.
AH: Gentlemen, thank you for joining me on such short notice and on a Saturday, help yourself to a coffee.
RD: Of course, Herr Fuhrer, we are at his service, what do you wish to discuss?
AH: Now that the political situation is under control, we must take the reins and guide Germany through the steps towards a bright future. And one of those steps is food production. Germany must achieve full self-sufficiency, so that no power on earth can again starve us into submission.
RD: Indeed.
AH: Therefore, I have devised a three-pronged approach that I direct you to implement, an approach that will sound familiar to you.
One, creating better agricultural methods and improving our livestock and our seeds.
Two, industrialization and electrification of our farms. Bringing tractors and other modern agricultural equipment to our farmers.
Three, adjusting the size of farms to the modern world. I will no longer allow German men to waste their lives in subsistence farming.
RD: Yes! Thank you mein Führer.
HB: Actually, thank you mein Fuhrer, but I feel like he has some details in mind.
AH: That's what I do, that's what I do. We go point by point. I order the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out a series of studies and programs, to achieve the following:
A new hardy hybrid wheat, which I have tentatively called dwarf wheat. A variety that contains stronger but shorter stems and heavier ears, something that should be possible by crossing our best wheat spots with dwarf grasses. In this project he must assign the best botanists in Germany and, if necessary, he can invite the necessary foreign scientists at his discretion. Do not hesitate to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for any help you need in this regard.
He should also start a project to place glass houses next to every farming village in Germany.
RD: Glass houses? You mean hot houses.
AH: Yes, they provide much-needed fruits and vegetables that would not otherwise be produced in Germany. Fruits and vegetables that my dietician insists are necessary for a healthy diet, especially if you need to ration your food. While relatively labor intensive, they provide an excellent return on acreage, and most of the work can be done by farmers' wives and daughters.
RD: Building them will also generate quite a few jobs.
AH: A benefit I also anticipate.
HB: They could also be used to help certain plants germinate, greatly reducing the length of the plant-harvest cycle.
AH: That's a benefit I hadn't thought about. Please, if you come up with other ideas or inspirations, share them. That's why I need experts like you, to make Germany great again it will need the input of all true Aryans.
HB: Zu befehl mein Führer.
AH: We will also start an industrial breeding program. A series of factory farms focused on maximum production of meat, dairy and eggs. For example, with pigs, we should be able to increase their growth and weight by containing them in stalls and ensuring that they live in optimal growth conditions from birth. Animals can be selectively bred, kept in place and under control throughout their lives. In this way we should be able to increase the availability of meat for the average German.
RD: Let's start the program right away. I think we could do something like this for fishing too, I've heard of some hatcheries in North America.
AH: Excellent, add that to the testing program for fresh and saltwater as well.
RD: Consider it done.
AH: Well, then comes the mechanization and electrification of farms throughout the Reich. Of course, this will require an effort on the part of the economy ministry and its energy department. But they can't start until you define the farmer's needs for power and power tools. Therefore, I order you to carry out a study program to electrify a village and provide it with tractors, and see how the farmers use these new tools.
RD: Expensive, Herr Führer.
AH: That will not be a problem, adequate funds will be released for this study. Now, from the same study, we will also receive comments on the optimal size of farms. The data we will need to rationalize the size of the farms. One would expect local adjustments for soil types and climate, but I'll leave that in your competent hands.
RD: But how do we get farmers to increase the size of their farms?
AH: I foresee a series of acquisitions, first by purchasing now-idle land from the Junkers. We will have to pay a higher than market price for that land. However, that part will be handled by the Treasury and Economy, as they have a plan to encourage the Junkers to invest these funds wisely. We then give the land to those farmers whose farms are too small. Merging the lands they leave behind with their neighbors' farms.
For agricultural villages located along the railway tracks, we will need to reserve an additional plot of land, so that we can build light industry and provide employment to the villages.
RD: Blood and soil.
AH: There are hardly any reds in the towns of Bavaria. I now await progress reports during the monthly cabinet meetings. However, if there are any issues that require my immediate attention, please contact Martin. I have already made arrangements to let you in as soon as possible.
RD: Thank you mein Fuhrer, we will get to work immediately.
AH: Well, I have complete confidence in you Doctor.
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