Planting the Seeds of Hope

Frederick Whitford

Description

The Great Depression of the 1930s nearly brought the agricultural community to a standstill. As markets went into an economic freefall, farmers who had suffered through a post–World War I economic depression in the 1920s would now struggle to produce crops, livestock, and other commodities that could return more than the cost to produce them.

In Indiana, the county agents of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service saw this desperation firsthand. As they looked into the worried faces of the people they were asked to assist, the trust they had worked to build in their communities during the previous two decades would be put to the test. Throughout the painful years of the Great Depression, the county agents would stand side by side with Hoosier farmers, relying on science-based advice and proven strategies to help them produce more bushels per acre, more pigs per litter, more gallons of milk per cow, and more eggs per chicken.

Then, as the decade drew to a close, the start of World War II in Europe soon placed farmers on the frontlines at home, producing the agricultural commodities needed in the United States and in war-torn locations abroad. The federal government quickly called on county agents to push farmers to meet historic production quotas—not an easy task with farm machinery, tires, and fuel rationed, and a severe labor shortage resulting from farm workers being drafted for military service or opting for higher-paying jobs in factories.

Using the observations and reports of county agents, Planting the Seeds of Hope offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to live through these historic events in rural Indiana. The agents’ own words and numerous accompanying photographs provide a one-of-a-kind perspective that brings their stories and those of the agricultural community they served to life at a pivotal time in American history.

Part 1: Pioneering a New Field of Work (1887–1928)

1 Neither the Agent nor His Farmer-Constituents Knew Very Much About What to Expect of One Another

Part 2: Outlasting the Great Depression (1929–1939)

2 The Shattering, Sledge Hammer Economic Blows of the Depression

3 Building Support Through Advisory Boards

4 Does the County Agent Do Anybody or Group of Farmers Any Good or Justify His Expense?

5 Live Out of the Garden, the Smoke House, and Cellar

6 Cash Is the One Article That Is Scarcest and Hardest to Get

7 The Man With the High-Producing Soil, Hen, Cow, and Sow That Kept Operating Expense Down Was Able to Return a Profit

8 Farmers Hanging On by a Mere Thread Reached Out for Benefit Payments to Save Their Farms

Photographs

9 Conservation of Soil Is the Solution on Which Will Hang Future Extension Activities

10 Erosion Is One of the Major Problems Which Must Be Faced

11 Land Use Planning Not Altogether a New Idea

12 Extension Work Interrupted by Extreme Droughts and Flood

13 There Is Convenience and Satisfaction of Flipping a Switch and Getting Light

14 Shall I Sell One Team on a Four-Horse Farm and Buy a Tractor?

15 The Average Farmer Has Not Learned the Principles of Economic Uses of Wood Lots

16 Hybrid Corn Is With Us to Stay Until Something Is Found to Take Its Place

17 The Necessity of Knowing the Soil Before a Good Crop Can Be Produced

18 Growing Wheat Is One Thing and Growing Quality Wheat Is Another

Photographs

19 Farmers on the Lookout for Some New or Different Crop That Offers More Promise for Fair Returns

20 Not More Cows but Fewer and Better Dairy Cows Is the Imperative Need

21 Sheep Have a Place on Most Every Farm

22 Runts and Diseased Pigs Seldom Lift the Mortgage

23 A Bushel Basket of Eggs Brings In as Much Money as 100 Bushels of Corn

24 The Life of an Extension Worker Is an Honorable Occupation and an Interesting One

Photographs

Part 3: Soldiers of the Soil During World War II (1940–1945)

25 Fitting the Extension Program to Wartime Conditions Has Required Some “Give and Take”

26 The County Agent Is Expected to Be a Walking Encyclopedia on Government Programs

27 Production Goals That Looked Impossible Were Reached

28 Higher Hog, Dairy, and Poultry Prices Created an Interest Like Never Before

29 For Patriotic Reasons as well as for Profit, Acreage Has Been Expanded

30 Tomatoes Have Become a Major Crop

31 The Total Increase in Home Production and Consumption Would Be a Staggering Amount of Food

32 The Armed Forces Have Taken 1,500 Men, Including Farmers. Why Wouldn’t It Create Many Problems?

33 All Agricultural Workers Seeking Employment in Industrial Factories Must Have a Statement of Transfer From the County Agent

34 Farm Women and Children Will Ride the Machinery to the Desired 10 Percent Increase in Production of Meat, Milk, and Eggs

Photographs

35 Explaining the Red Tape That Farmers Must Go Through to Get Electricity

36 Machinery Will Need to Be Replaced Before the Supply of Baling Wire Is Exhausted

37 Patriotic Duty to Get the Most Possible Mileage From Tires

38 Farmers Were Second Only to the Army in Needing Fuel

39 Extension Meetings Will Be Curtailed Due to Gas Rationing, Thin Tires, and Busier People

40 School Children of America! Help Save Your Fathers’, Brothers’, and Neighbors’ Lives by Collecting Milkweed Pods

41 American Hemp Will Go On Duty Again

42 Draining the Woodlots of the Larger Oaks, Walnuts, Maples, and Sycamores

43 Think More of the Soil as a Heritage to Be Conserved and Passed On to Those Who Follow

Photographs

Part 4: Beyond World War II (1945–1946)

44 Boys Are Having a Hard Time Making “Fox Hole” Dreams Come True

45 Effort Must Be Directed Toward Building for the Future

Photographs

Epilogue Now as Never Before Farmers Have Put Into Use Many Practices Advocated by the Extension Service

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Sujets

• Midwest
• Histoire
• Federación de Fútbol de Australia
• Medio Oeste de Estados Unidos
• Segunda Guerra Mundial
• Great Depression
• State
• Midwestern United States
• World War II
• History of the Americas
• 4-H
• United States
• History
• Local
• Middle West
• FFA
• Indiana
• Seconde Guerre mondiale

Informations

• Publié par: Purdue University Press
• Date de parution: 15 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781612498584
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 83 Mo

Extrait

Plantingthe Seeds of Hope

Purdue University Press Founders Series books y Frederick Witford

Scattering te Seeds of Knowledge: Te Words and Works of Indiana’s Pioneer County Extension Agents

Enricing te Hoosier Farm Family: A Poto History of Indiana’s Early County Extension Agents

Te Grand Old Man of Purdue University and Indiana Agriculture: A Biograpy of William Carroll Latta

Te Queen of American Agriculture: A Biograpy of Virginia Claypool Meredit

For te Good of te Farmer: A Biograpy of Jon Harrison Skinner, Dean of Purdue Agriculture

Memories of Life on te Farm Troug te Lens of Pioneer Potograper J. C. Allen

Plantingthe Seeds of Hope

Indiana County Extension Agents During the Great Depression and World War II

Frederick Whitford

Purdue University Press West Lafayette, Indiana www.press.purdue.edu

Copyrigt © 2023 y Purdue University All rigts reserved. Printed in te United States of America.

Cataloging-in-Pulication Data is on file at te Lirary of Congress.

978-1-61249-844-7 (ardack) 978-1-61249-845-4 (epdf )

Designer: Dawn L. Minns Editor: Carolyn A. McGrew Indexer: Marilyn Augst

All place names mentioned are in Indiana unless oterwise noted.

DEDICATION L ooking ack over my tirty years as an Extension specialist makes me more tan ever appreciate tat I was ale to spend a career wit te men and women wo farm and work in industry. being ale to put togeter a series of Extension pulications along wit 6,000 presentations allowed me a cance to interact wit farmers, usiness leaders, applicators, government officials, environmentalists, gardeners, and oters. Tose accomplisments will fade in time as new educators come to te forefront and new people take over from tose I taugt during my career.

Wat I ope will last te test of time are te seven ooks written aout te individuals and events tat saped te early years of Indiana agriculture, Purdue University, and te Cooperative Extension Service in te state. It’s true tat an autor gets all of te credit, ut any professional writer will tell you tat in te ackground tere are unsung eroes called editors wo contriute greatly to ow a ook takes form from words on paper to a ound ook.

I was lucky enoug over te course of writing aout Extension’s istory to ave Carolyn McGrew in my corner as editor. I say lucky ecause er editorial skills made me appear on paper to e a etter writer tan I actually am. A true professional, se took te position tat se was a reader and ad to understand wat was eing said. I can onestly say se looked at every line and word, wic was evident wen I got er edits ack on every capter. Her aility to reduce ulk, find inconsistencies, and select te exact words increased te accuracy of eac ook and made tem more enjoyale to read. Terefore, I would like to dedicatePlanting te Seeds of Hopeto Carolyn McGrew for er many years as my editor and friend.

So God Made a Farmer

And on te eigt day, God looked down on is planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.”

So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need someody willing to get up efore dawn, milk cows, work all day in te fields, milk cows again, eat supper, ten go to town and stay past midnigt at a meeting of te scool oard.”

So God made a farmer.

“I need someody wit arms strong enoug to wrestle a calf and yet gentle enoug to deliver is own grandcild. Someody to call ogs, tame cantankerous macinery, come ome ungry, ave to wait for lunc until is wife’s done feeding visiting ladies, ten tell te ladies to e sure and come ack real soon and mean it.”

So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need someody willing to sit up all nigt wit a neworn colt and watc it die, ten dry is eyes and say, ‘Maye next year.’ I need someody wo can sape an ax andle from a persimmon sprout and soe a orse wit a unk of car tire. Wo can make arness out of ay wire, feed sacks, and soe scraps. Wo, planting time and arvest season, will finis is forty-our week y Tuesday noon, and ten, painin’ from tractor ack, put in anoter seventy-two ours.”

So God made a farmer.

God ad to ave someody willing to ride te ruts at doule speed to get te ay in aead of te rain clouds and yet stop in midfield and race to elp wen e sees te first smoke from a neigor’s place.

So God made a farmer.

God said, “I need someody strong enoug to clear trees and eave ales, yet gentle enoug to yean lams and wean pigs and tend te pink-comed pullets. Wo’ll stop is mower for an our to splint te roken leg of a meadowlark. It ad to e someody wo’d plow deep and straigt and not cut corners. Someody to seed, weed, feed, reed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie te fleece and strain te milk and replenis te self-feeder and finis a ard week’s work wit a five-mile drive to curc. Someody wo’d ale a family togeter wit te soft, strong onds of saring. Wo would laug and ten sig and ten reply wit smiling eyes wen is son says tat e wants to spend is life doing wat dad does.” So God made a farmer.

—PAUL HARVEY

Te present extension staff neiter deserves nor desires te “lion’s sare” of credit for watever as een done in te past, is now eing done, or will follow in te future. To all wo in any way ave assisted in tis ig program, we wis to express our sincere appreciation, and urge you to continue in te forward movement of Extension work in Indiana, or werever you may cance to e living in te future. To tose wo ave preceded us in tis ig extension field, we would like to say “you ave uilt well,” and to tose wit wom we laor today, and tose upon wom te tasks of tomorrow will fall, may we say “yours is a most worty causeold ig te torc, and carry on.”

—Enos M. Rowe, Extension Agent in Clinton County, Indiana, 1939

CO

N

T

E

N

TS

Part 1: Pioneering a New Field of Work (1887–1928)  1 Neiter te Agent nor His Farmer-Constituents Knew  Very Muc Aout Wat to Expect of One Anoter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Part 2: Outlasting the Great Depression (1929–1939)  2 Te Sattering, Sledge Hammer Economic blows of te Depression . . . . . . 21  3 building Support Troug Advisory boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26  4 Does te County Agent Do Anyody or Group of Farmers Any Good  or Justify His Expense? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31  5 Live Out of te Garden, te Smoke House, and Cellar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39  6 Cas Is te One Article Tat Is Scarcest and Hardest to Get . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46  7 Te Man Wit te Hig-Producing Soil, Hen, Cow, and Sow  Tat Kept Operating Expense Down Was Ale to Return a Profit . . . . . . . . . . 56  8 Farmers Hanging On y a Mere Tread Reaced Out for benefit  Payments to Save Teir Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Potograps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80  9 Conservation of Soil Is te Solution on Wic Will Hang Future  Extension Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96  10 Erosion Is One of te Major Prolems Wic Must be Faced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103  11 Land Use Planning Not Altogeter a New Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111  12 Extension Work Interrupted y Extreme Drougts and Flood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116  13 Tere Is Convenience and Satisfaction of Flipping a Switc  and Getting Ligt  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126  14 Sall I Sell One Team on a Four-Horse Farm and buy a Tractor? . . . . . . . . . . 136  15 Te Average Farmer Has Not Learned te Principles of Economic  Uses of Wood Lots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142  16 Hyrid Corn Is Wit Us to Stay Until Someting Is Found  to Take Its Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149