Yesterday (1/23/2025) the nominations for the Academy Awards were announced. Earlier this month the Golden Globe Awards were given for the best film and television performance of the past year. So, in keeping with that spirit, this the 300th Friday Footnote is going to recognize several Friday Footnotes from the past that have resonated the most with the readers. It would be nice to share the variety and volume of comments about each of these Footnotes, but space prevents that, so I have selected 2-3 comments about each Footnote. The top Footnotes from the previous 299 published Friday Footnotes based on reader responses, in no particular order, are …
The Women’s Land Army (August 10, 2018). Describes the Women’s Land Army of World War I and II
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
Thank you for providing this history lesson. In case you’re interested, there’s a fictional show on Netflix called “Land Girls” about the WLA in Britain. – University Professor in Texas.
Thanks for sharing but I had to laugh because I know that the women on both sides of my family worked their butts off alongside their husbands. I think the attitude in my family anyway there wasn’t so much mens work or womens work there was just work and it all had to be done. My moms parents were newlyweds toward the end of WWI and the story was shared with me of my grandmother working on the haystacks, forking hay, in her dress. They eventually had six boys and as they grew older her tasks became more domestic but she was a window into the type of pioneer stock my family came from and I’m sure she would have cackled loudly at the Secretary of Agricultures remarks. Thanks for sharing and I’ll have to be on the lookout for more of your emails. – Ag Teacher in Indiana.
We Have Been Here Before (May 1, 2020). How the polio epidemic in the early 1930-1960 era impacted the FFA and 4-H. We survived that era and will survive COVID also.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
Thanks for this. It hit close to home. In 1955 (I was 2) my dad was back from Korea attending Cal Poly and my mom was teaching elementary school. My mom got sick and went to the hospital. She was 7 months pregnant. It was polio. She lost the baby and was paralyzed from the neck down. I went to live with my grandparents and she was in a rehab hospital for the next 4 years learning to live with the disability. She spent then 40 years sleeping in an iron lung and breathing during the day with a ventilator. Although she never went back to the classroom she did tutoring for many years. I grew up in a home with a mom who could not hug me, but encouraged me in so many ways. I learned to maintain her machinery and made many modifications over the years. She taught me to cook when I was about 7. We could not travel (iron lungs are not portable) so we traveled the world with a globe, Collier’s Encyclopedia, and an international cookbook. Perhaps life changing events can teach us more about ourselves. – University Professor from California
A must read and should this generation ever complain, introduce them to Warren. Very impressive. – University Professor from Texas.
Don’t You Just Want Me for Me? (February 1, 2019). Breanna Holbert, the first Female African American National FFA President shares her experiences as the national FFA president.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
This is a terrific article. What a tremendous representation of what we hold dear in agricultural education and FFA. Thanks for sharing this with all of us. – Retired Educator in Minnesota
Thank you for sharing your space with a very intelligent and meaningful young lady. – Ag Teacher in California.
I Smell a Rat (9/3/2021). At one time FFA Pest Hunts were popular.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
Very interesting and funny footnote. Another unique piece of FFA History. It did get me thinking though that in some instances, a Pest Hunt could still be conducted if it followed current ethical practices. I’m sure that many urban and suburban areas are still plagued by rats. I’ve heard horror stories of rats in New York and Chicago. A few years ago I was walking through Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, DC and a rat crossed the sidewalk in front of me. Also no matter what neighborhood one lives in, skunks and racoons cause problems. FFA chapters could work with state fish and game officials to educate homeowners about ethically removing these pests. I have a garden shed in my backyard and we are always trapping skunks that want to live under the shed. So while this topic is from decades ago, it could still be utilized today, albeit in a different manner. – University Professor in Idaho.
This contest was still in full effect when I started teaching at A-C Central in Ashland Illinois in 2002-2003. It was one of their sacred cows. We had students who would hunt all fall just to be the points leader. I do not recall handing out any awards beyond bragging rights. I had no desire to process tails, ears, and/or paws, yet there I was. – University Professor in Texas
An agriculture teacher in Illinois sent me photos of the trophies sponsored by the Farm Bureau in his school from the 1950s. Here is one of the photos.
Forty-One Words (November 20, 2020). Examines the President’s admonition in the FFA meeting closing ceremony
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
This is a great message and something I intend to incorporate into my Intro to FFA unit! Thanks for your diligent research, insight and wisdom! As always, I learn so much when I read your weekly Friday Footnote! I love what I do and am in my 14th year of teaching Agriculture! I myself never wore the blue jacket as a student (born and raised in Canada) and maybe that’s what makes these tidbits of knowledge that much more special to me. – Ag Teacher in Oregon
I have used a variety of the Friday Footnotes over the last few years for my independent SAE students and in Principles of Agriculture. The article Forty-One Words is one I have used several times. I enjoy the real world thoughts and examples that Friday Footnotes provide, the history and the application of what is shared. Thank you for continuing this pursuit and for sharing it with all of us! – Ag Teacher in Indiana
Rosenwald Schools and Agricultural Education (September 7, 2018). Describes the building of 5,000 schools in the South for children of color with matching funds from Julius Rosenwald. Agriculture was taught in many of these schools.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
An interesting read. I did not know this history. The black and white schools in Thornton, Arkansas consolidate in 1968. The black school became our elementary school that I attended for 4 years. But, in 1981, I purchased the old ag building at the black school for $1 (with the agreement to clean up the site) and tore it down for the lumber. After looking at the pictures in your article, it was one of those buildings that you have the floor plan for. – Ag Teacher in Arkansas
I am currently working on an update to an agricultural history timeline that I originally developed in 2003 with USDA support, “Growing a Nation: The Story of American Agriculture.” The information you are sharing is very timely! The project timeline was developed for high school history teachers/students as a companion to their textbooks as a way to engage students with the story of life in America and how agricultural events have impacted all of our lives. I will also create an event concerning the Rosenwald Schools. Agricultural Educator in Utah.
When an Old Man Gets to Thinking (November 23, 2018). This was a short Footnote published at Thanksgiving and featured a poem by Edgar Guest about the important things in life.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
I just recited the poem to my family at breakfast. Nice message, especially during the Holiday Season. -University Professor in New Mexico
I needed that reminder, especially this season of the year and especially this season in my life. – State Staff in Utah
As a 48 year old who just had their first child in April, I love that poem. Generally not into poetry, but that is a good one. – Ag Teacher in Indiana
The “Merger” of the FFA and NFA (February 15, 2019). Events leading to the merger of the FFA and NFA
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
Thank you for sharing this historical information. I worked with our staff last Summer creating an archive room at one of our camps for NFA & NHA as we dedicated rooms to some of their teachers. I had always just heard of the merger, like it was no big deal. My eyes were opened last summer to a glimpse into a little of what it was to these former members. It was sad to me that so much of their history had been lost & hard to find for both organizations. Thanks again for sharing. – State staff in Georgia
I appreciate your comments about how perception affects how one would view the joining of NFA and FFA, merger versus takeover. When I worked at NFFA we had a chance to go to the archives and read, I believe, some of the same letters you read during your research regarding the joining of NFA and FFA. It was then that I realized, in my mind, that for all intents and purposes it was more of a hostile takeover than a merger. Case in point is how no traditions or memorabilia from NFA was ever adopted by FFA. This is something we talk about with our students when we teach FFA history.- Ag Teacher in Oregon
A Raw Deal (Parts 1-6) (May 20, 2022 through June 24, 2022). A series of six Friday Footnotes were published that looked at the plight of Japanese Americans that were forced to leave their farms and businesses during World War II. Farming operations and agricultural education were found in the Internment camps.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
Thank you for sharing the unbelievable history of the USA treatment of Asian Americans. While WWII is mostly an after thought for the students in schools today, the rise in attacks and hatred toward Asians has today due to the ignorance of individuals blaming all Asian races for the pandemic is history repeating. Camp Harmony in Puyallup, Washington was used as an assembly center for the forced relocation of Japanese individuals in Washington State. A large number of these families were farmers. Today, as before the war, Camp Harmony is the Western Washington Fairgrounds. It is the home of the Washington State FFA Exhibition. The fair did have a small display on the internment when I was last there in 2010. I do not know if it still remains. The irony of it all is that our country, which expounds freedom, locked up US citizens for nothing more than their ethnic background. – State Staff from Connecticut.
These have been very interesting to me. I grew up in a small town in northern California. We had Japanese apple growers and packers. My mom’s (in high school at the time) friends were hauled away, but I’m not sure where. Many came back after the war and were family friends. I now live about 2 hours from Newell (camp is still there) and have visited Manzanar (nice visitors center). Both camps are high desert. Tulelake was an established farming area at the time. Manzanar is more remote sitting on the eastern slope of the Sierra. Some cattle grazing, but little farming since LA drained the water from the Owens Valley (c. 1910). Very interesting to hear of Ag programs in the camps. We still have quite a few Japanese growers in the state. As always I enjoy these. Thanks! – University Professor in California
We would like to integrate this info into our ag academy at Woodland High in Ca. Do you have these articles in a single source? Some of our local farmers were interns. And we like to incorporate this part of our history so that we would never forget or do it again. – Ag Teacher in California
The Three Female Ag Ed Musketeers (January 15 & 22, 2021) This two part series contained interviews of the first female presidents of the NAAE (National Association of Agriculture Educators – previously known as the NVATA – National Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association), the NASAE (National Association of Supervisors of Agricultural Education) and the AAAE (American Association for Agricultural Education – formerly known as the AATEA – American Association of Teacher Educators in Agriculture).
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
Thank you MeeCee, Karen, and Jacque for being pioneers and trend-setters in our profession! – NAAE Staff member
Loved reading your article and I’m humbled to know and have worked with all three of these ladies through the professional organizations and involvement with NAAE. MeeCee was President of NVATA when I was an officer in our state organization and I remember her powerful speech as she finished her year of service. I also clearly remember a conversation she and I had about running for an NAAE Board position which as you know, I did and became the 2nd female president of our organization (or the first of NAAE!). It would never have come to pass had MeeCee not encouraged me or forged a path for all females to follow. And in reading Karen’s answers, found out that we had the same advisor in Dr. Hillison at Virginia Tech. I don’t think I knew she went there nor that Dr. Hillison was a mentor of both of us. I just love the small world of positive influence and professional colleagues that surround us in agricultural education and wanted you to know how much reading your article brought me a smile and made my day. This is year 30 for me in the agricultural education classroom and with COVID and virtual teaching, what a year it has been and continues to be. – Ag Teacher from Maryland
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (May 22, 2020). Looks at hazing in the FFA and how induction into the FFA has evolved over the years.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
Rang my bell! It wasn’t just the 30’s. As a new teacher in 1982…I lived through what I didn’t know was a community tradition. After refusing to hold their traditional initiation for 6 months,, I agreed to hold a Greenhand “welcome” meeting at night during FFA week with the stipulation that ALL activities had to be approved by me and conducted by the officers. They submitted me a pretty “harmless” list of activities. Little did I know that there was a conspiracy planned by the Science Teacher and alumni members to take over the event once they gathered. As the event began I looked in the shop and I’d say 20 community members/alumni were in there and the Science teacher was perched on the top of the tool room in his traditional photography spot. While I was preparing the refreshments I had gathered up in another room they began the event in the other room by having the Greenhands remove their shoes and blindfolded them. Before I had a chance to react all of a sudden the “harmless” activities were quickly transitioned to the traditional events. I will spare the details BUT it was UGLY. Matter of fact DANGEROUS! If this happened today it would be in CNN by morning. After about 10-15 minutes and I escaped the refreshment room and saw what was going on, I shut it down and sent everyone home. As I did, the alumni (and Science teacher) got pissed and commandeered all the shoes and proceeded to scatter them on the roof of the shop and throughout the field behind the shop. Most kids went home without their shoes and some with their hair matted with axle grease. One parent required us (a few good officers came to my rescue) to get up on the roof and drive the tractor around the field to find “Johnnie’s” shoes. One kid who happened to be first in line told me the next day he washed his hair 7 times after getting home. It was still matted to his skull. Needless to say…the young gullible Ag teacher was duped by the school/ community tradition but NEVER AGAIN. Come to find out the hallways of that school were filled with good Ag kids not taking Ag…when asked why not they replied” Man I ain’t going through No initiation like that”. For the next three years we CHANGED that schools tradition…much to the chagrin of the Science teacher and certain alumni. Fortunately I survived that event but memories still haunt me. Some of the students still kid me and are able to laugh about it to me. The one who washed his hair so many times is bald….he assures me it is hereditary! Ha. Anyway…an UGLY part of our past…not just in the 30’s. I suspect the 60’s-70’s were worse but it was still happening in the 80’s. – University Professor in Kentucky
Wow did this Friday Footnote bring back memories!! In 1969 I was a Greenhand and remember carrying a shoeshine kit and wearing bib overalls for an entire week at school. We were expected to shine member’s shoes on demand during passing periods. We also went through an elaborate initiation while blindfolded. We had to drink a warm yellow liquid that had salt and egg whites mixed in to resemble urine (revealed to us after the blindfold was removed), told to jump of a plank that was in reality only 2 or 3 inches off the ground (we were instructed to place our hands on the shoulders of an individual positioned in front of us and others lifted the plank to simulate a much further distance), and to kiss the Creed three times (third time was a sack of flour). There were probably other pranks but after 51 years those memories have faded. Our Ag Teachers closely supervised but by the time I was a senior, most of these had been eliminated from the initiation. I’m not advocating that we go back to these practices. – University Professor in Texas
Songs of the New Farmers of America (August 24, 2018). Identifies songs popular with the New Farmers of America
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
We still have Quartet competitions in Alabama along with String Band. I believe we are the only state association to offer the competitions, some other states have talent competitions. Thanks for sharing. State Staff from Alabama
Gary, I used to sing some of those songs when I was an NFA member back in the day! University Professor from Pennsylvania
Thanks for sharing this! I did not realize the depth of the history of quartet contests in FFA and NFA! I knew they existed at one point. I do wish there was some more inclusion of the Arts in the FFA on all levels of the organization. Ag Teacher from North Carolina
Agdex (June 18, 2021). Describes a national filing system for agricultural educators from the 1960s.
A Sampling of Reader Comments:
As a beginning teacher in 1984, I ordered the system and organized my files using Agdex. My sentiments about Agdex are similar to MeeCee’s. I felt so organized and professional, when I adopted the system as a young agriculture teacher. – University Professor from Idaho
Interesting stroll down memory lane … I recall taking the better part of three summers back in the 70’s at Stuart’s Draft High School in Virginia transitioning our filing system to AGDEX. I always wondered if subsequent teachers continued using it after I left. – University Professor from Tennessee
AGDEX was very helpful when I started teaching in 1970. In addition to creating great organization, it was a god-send in a two-teacher program. We didn’t have to “remember” the other guy’s filing system!! – University Administrator from Florida
Concluding Remarks
The Footnotes featured above generated a considerable number of comments. Some comments were shared with all the readers, and some came directly to me. When I send out a Footnote, I wonder what type of reaction the readers will have. Some that I think are important don’t generate much discussion and there are others that really surprise me with the volume of dialogue they generate.
There are about 15 other Footnotes that have generated a good bit of conversation and thought. Too bad we don’t have the space to feature them also.
Next week we will publish Friday Footnote #301 and resume our focus on the past and current agricultural education programs in the various states by visiting Maine.