Arkansas was the 2nd state to receive a charter from the national FFA in 1928. Arkansas applied for their charter on November 5, 1928 15 days BEFORE the first national Future Farmers of America convention (November 20, 1928) and the official establishment of the FFA. At that time, they had 54 local chapters and 1,175 members.
At the first national convention, Arkansas was one of six states in attendance that had a state organization and paid the $5.00 affiliation fee. The other states were Virginia, California, South Carolina, Oklahoma and New Jersey. Nebraska applied for a charter a week after the national FFA Convention. It appears charters were issued according to the date on the application.
| State | Date of Charter Application | Charter Number |
| Virgina* | No Date is on the Application | 1 |
| Arkansas | November 5, 1928 | 2 |
| New Jersey | November 8, 1928 | 3 |
| California | November 8, 1928 | 4 |
| South Carolina | November 13, 1928 | 5 |
| Nebraska | November 27, 1928 | 6 |
| Oklahoma | No Date is on the Application | 7 |
*Virginia received National Charter #1 because they were the state after which the national FFA was modeled, and the national officials were at Virginia Tech.
At the first national FFA convention Sam Pickering from Arkansas was selected as the Southern Region vice president. Elstner Beall of Arkansas was one of ten FFA members to receive the American Farmer key at the convention.
In 2021-2022 Arkansas had 216 FFA chapters and 15,601 members. The web site is https://www.arkansasffa.org/. Now, let’s explore the early days of the FFA in Arkansas.
Who is Elstner Beall of Arkansas?
One of ten students to receive the American Degree at the first national convention in 1928 was Elstner Beall from Wilson, Arkansas. Who was he and what was his farming program?
In 1925 (January 16) The Osceola Times recognized Elstner for winning the state-wide cotton production contest sponsored by the Arkansas Cotton Growers Association and the State Board for Vocational Agriculture. He produced 2,257 pounds of lint cotton on 3 acres. Elstner predicted he might win the contest again. Those words were prophetic.
In an article published in the Mountaineer Echo in 1928 we learn that Elstner had won the cotton contest three out of the past four years (he was 4th in 1927). Because of his achievements he was awarded a trip to Washington, DC in 1926 and also represented Arkansas on trip to Cuba sponsored by the Chilean Nitrate of Soda Educational Bureau in 1927.
The Daily World of Helena, Arkansas reported in 1928 (February 19) that Elstner was the state and All Southern Vocational Corn Champion with a 166 bushel average on two acres. He was the state champion in corn production one other year.
Later Elstner played baseball and basketball at the University of Arkansas. He received a BS degree in agriculture from the University of Arkansas in 1934. He then was an Assistant County Agent and then became a county director for the Farm Security Administration. The 1950 Wilson (Arkansas) High School yearbook has a “Elstner Beall” as the agriculture teacher. Could this be the same Elstner Beall?
Figure 1. From The Osceola Times, January 16, 1925.
How Was Vocational Agriculture Organized in Arkansas in the Early Days?
An article published in The Mountaineer Echo (Yellville) in 1929 does a commendable job of explaining the vocational agriculture program in Arkansas. What was described was typical of vocational agriculture programs in the 1920s across the country. It took a dedicated teacher to wear the multiple hats associated with being the agriculture teacher in the 1920s. This article should be required reading for current and prospective agriculture teachers today. Then, they might be thankful they were not teaching in 1929.
Figure 2. From The Mountaineer Echo (Yellville), March 7, 1929
What is “Salvage for Victory?”
“Salvage for Victory” was the slogan for a concerted effort involving the youth from Blythville, Arkansas in collecting scrap metal for the war effort in 1942. Over 80,000 pounds of metal was collected.
Figure 3. The Courier News (Blytheville), April 25, 1942.
Did Sears Roebuck & Company Sponsor Pig Chains for the New Farmers of America?
A past Friday Footnote identified many of the programs sponsored by Sears Roebuck & Company for vocational agriculture students. While many of their activities were for the FFA, Sears also sponsored programs for the NFA (New Farmers of America). This 1946 article in The Courier News of Blytheville describes the purebred pig program operated by the NFA.
Figure 4. From The Courier News (Blythville), May 15, 1946
In 1957 what did a week at Camp Couchdale cost?
Arkansas has been fortunate to have a FFA camp for nearly a century. In 1930 a committee selected a site for a state FFA Camp on Lake Catherine near Hot Springs. In 1931 a lease on the 37 acres was secured for the site from a power company. In 1935 the camp site was purchased and deeded to the state FFA organization. More than a million youth have spent time at Camp Couchdale. This article in The Mountaineer Echo from 1957 tells about some of the activities at the camp. And the cost for a week in 1957 was $8.00. To learn more about the camp several videos can be viewed at http://www.campcouchdale.com/history-videos.
Figure 5. From The Mountaineer Echo, July 25, 1957
What Changes are Needed in Vocational Agriculture Programs in Arkansas?
In the 1976 move “Network” the lead character declares “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.” That was not the case in Arkansas in 1959 but the agriculture teachers did want some changes made. Two leaders in agricultural education appeared before the state Board of Education and asked for five changes to be made in the operation of the vocational agriculture programs in the state. See Figure 6 to learn about the proposed changes.
Figure 6. The Courier News, March 11, 1959
Concluding Remarks
Dedication! If I had to select one word to describe this Friday Footnote, it would be dedication. Elstner Beall was dedicated to excelling in crop production, both corn and cotton. His dedication to this cause resulted in him being one of the first 10 FFA members to receive the American Farmer degree.
Agriculture teachers in the 1920s often taught four groups of students – full time students in their own high school, students in neighboring schools that didn’t have an agriculture program, young men who were no longer attending school, and adult farmers in the community. It took dedication to teach these four groups.
Winning World War II took a combined effort of the military and the citizens back home. 4-H and FFA members were dedicated to the cause by collecting scrap metal for the war effort.
Sears and Roebuck was dedicated to improving rural America by working with both the FFA and NFA to improve the livestock found in the southern states.
The agriculture teachers in Arkansas in the 1930s were dedicated to establishing a camp for their FFA members. Space does not permit going into detail on all the fund raising efforts initiated by agriculture teachers to establish the camp. Suffice it to say they did a lot to make the camp a reality.
The fact that an agriculture teacher would appear before the state Board of Education to advocate for needed changes in the program says a lot about dedication to the profession.
As the new school year gets underway, perhaps this would be a good time to rededicate ourselves to our students and the profession of Agricultural Education. We can learn from past events in Arkansas.