"The duty of the individual farmer, at this time, is to increase his production, particularly of food crops"

The quote by David F. Houston is stressing the significance of the specific farmer in the present environment. He is recommending that the responsibility of the specific farmer is to increase their production, especially of food crops. This is likely due to the current global situation, where food security is a major issue. By increasing production, the specific farmer can assist to guarantee that there suffices food to go around. This is specifically important in times of crisis, when food scarcities can have a disastrous effect on communities. The private farmer has a responsibility to their community to guarantee that there suffices food to walk around. Increasing production of food crops is one way to do this.