AGRICULTURE: Bumper Crop Of Trouble

It was intended as an act of generosity. The Church World Service, a branch of the National Council of Churches, wanted to help Southern farmers still suffering from last summer’s drought. So the group has shipped nearly 6 million lbs. of corn seed to about 5,000 cash-strapped farmers in eight states.

But the $5 million shipment has sown a heap of controversy. Some federal and state officials have charged that the free seed from the North may not be suitable for Southern soil. The Federal Crop Insurance Corp. warns that farmers who use the seed against Government advice could be declared ineligible for benefit programs. But many argue that they have no choice. Says Tom Trantham of Pelzer, S.C.: “We have to survive.”