Americans: Short Wheat Crop Needs Careful Distribution
A framed typeset letter, bordered with wheat sheaves and a shield of stripes and stars, is signed by Herbert Hoover as United States Food Administrator. It gives wheat figures, asks the reader to help prevent hoarding and urges 'the marketing of wheat reserves'. The tell: statistics and an appeal to 'American ideals' share one sheet, and the signature of the Administrator lends official authority to the request.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1918
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- U.S. Food Administration (Herbert Hoover, United States Food Administrator)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- Event
- World War I
- Regime
- Wilson administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 4 (U.S. Food Administration), World War I Posters (NAID 512439), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
U.S. Food Administration (Herbert Hoover, United States Food Administrator). National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-74.
Text on the object
AMERICANS: SHORT wheat crop needs careful distribution. Reserves were swept bare last July. Energetic milling and supervised distribution relieved that scarcity in September and since. Moreover, Allied necessities have been fairly met month by month. A crop which on pre-war consumption promised only 10,000,000 bushels surplus for export, has furnished in nine months 100,000,000 bushels, after importing 22,000,000 bushels. Americans, sinking their wheat flour preference and even paying higher prices for substitutes, did that. Patriotic consumers respond to national service call! So will the American farmer! So will the grain dealer and miller! Some trade papers say that grain dealers may not cultivate farmers' wheat marketings because larger profits offer in handling other grains. Is profit motive the only stimulant in free America? Three months yet to feed our own people. Three months yet to continue the stream of wheat flour to valiant Britain-France-Italy. Our Allies use every possible substitute, and yet require some wheat flour to bind their cereal loaf. These needs must be met. Farm retention of wheat hinders. A national need requires every American to make common cause. The American people will not tolerate preferential supplies or hoarding on the farm, or elsewhere. 21,000 grain dealers and 6,000 mills reach the grower. We enlist them in the national service. Explain what has been done and what yet remains to be done. Urge the marketing of wheat reserves. That is your assignment in Home Service. Do it now and do it every day until every bushel within your influence answers-"Present and ready." Yours, for American ideals, [signature] Herbert Hoover United States Food Administrator
Signature rendered as printed in facsimile.
