The Friday Footnote took a short vacation in July and then during August Dr. Connors of South Dakota State University educated us about art in agriculture. Now, we will return to our journey through the states continuing where we left off with Minnesota.
Typically the FFA Chapter Secretary states he or she is stationed by the ear of corn in the opening ceremony of an FFA meeting. Back in the early 1960s a typical FFA member in Minnesota would not carry around an ear of corn but would carry a kernel of corn in his pocket. Thousands of FFA members in Minnesota were carrying around a kernel of corn in their pants pockets. Why?
Figure 1. A kernel of corn.
The kernel of corn was part of a FFA sponsored farm safety program and the kernel of corn was a noticeable reminder to be safe. When an FFA member pulled the car keys or pocket knife out of his pocket, he would feel the kernel of corn and remember the need to be safe. See Figure 2.
Figure 2. New Richland (MN) Star, October 11, 1962
The Minnesota FFA and Farm Safety
The Minnesota FFA has a long history of being involved in farm safety campaigns. In 1943 the Minnesota FFA accepted an invitation from the Minnesota Safety Council to officially affiliate with the organization. The goal was to make Minnesota farms the safest in the nation.
In 1947 the state FFA convention resolutions committee advocated chapters taking an active role in farm safety. A statewide farm safety competition was held in 1951 with the Eagle Bend chapter placing first (they again placed first 25 years later). In 1954 the Winona FFA placed first in farm safety and received a plaque from the Minnesota Safety Council.
In 1959 the Morgan and New Ulm FFA chapters were the first to install stop/yield signs at farm driveway approaches and clearing blind intersections of weeds, brush and tall corn. This was a joint 4-H/FFA project and was endorsed by the Minnesota Safety Council and the Minnesota Highway Department. Other chapters joined in and by 1962 the number of signs placed exceeded one thousand.
Figure 3. Image from Minnesota FFA From the Beginning by W. J. Kortesmaki
The year 1959 also saw Minnesota FFA chapters conducting hazard identification campaigns in school shops and on farms. Red colored tags with a skull and crossbones with the words “Correct this Hazard” were placed on each hazard along with instructions for correcting the hazard.
A complete listing and description of Minnesota FFA safety programs would take pages and would include distribution of slow moving vehicle signs, fire safety, snowmobile safety, bicycle safety, chemical safety, lawn mower safety, and firearm safety.
The idea of carrying around a kernel of corn started around 1962 with W. J. Kortesmaki, Minnesota FFA Executive Secretary. For years members carried around a kernel of corn in their pocket to remind them to be safe.
While I have never carried a kernel of corn in my pocket for an extended period of time, I am guessing that the kernel of corn rubbing against keys and pocket knives might start to flake. So what could be done about this?
During the 1960s and 1970s liquid plastics became popular in the world of arts and crafts. A person could mix up a batch of liquid plastic in a mold, add a hardener and embed objects in the mixture which would harden. As an agriculture teacher in 1972 I was one of six national winners in the NVATA Ideas Unlimited contest for using liquid plastic to embed seeds, insects and other objects in hard plastic cubes.
So it should not be a surprise to learn that in the early 1970s kernels of corn carried by Minnesota FFA members were embedded in hard plastic. The Plastic Technology class at the Staples, Minnesota Area Vocational School started embedding kernels of corn in plastic. See Figure 4.
Figure 4. St. Cloud Times, May 8, 1970
Figure 5. A kernel of corn embedded in plastic. Image courtesy of Paul Fixen.
However, over time the idea of the single kernel of corn evolved into a newer representation of the kernel of corn – a kernel of corn printed on a key fob. In 1977 the Midland Cooperatives of Minneapolis and the Mutual Services Insurance Companies of St. Paul provided 5,000 keyholders to FFA members. See Figure 6 and 7.
Figure 6. The Shell Rock Press, Glenville, Minnesota, Thursday, June 23, 1977.
Figure 7. The updated corn kernel key holder. Image courtesy of Jim Ertl.
Concluding Remarks
Both Minnesota and the National FFA have a long history of promoting agricultural safety. Starting in 1950 the National FFA Foundation made proficiency award medals available for farm safety. For decades the national FFA sponsored a National Chapter Safety Award program and recognized FFA chapters with gold, silver, and bronze ratings for their safety programs. The latest record of National Chapter Safety Award winners was in the 1995 convention proceedings. Of the 31 gold award winning chapters in 1995, five were from Minnesota.
Figure 8. Chapter Proficiency Award Farm Safety medal provided by the National FFA to be awarded by local chapters.
Today Safety is included in the National Chapter Award Program. Safety is one of the five quality standards in the Strengthening Agriculture section. For examples go to page 10 of the National Chapter Award Program Handbook.
While the national FFA still supports agricultural safety activities, if one were to look on the national FFA website today and search for safety one would find an emphasis on student safety and see words such as harassment, bullying, hazing, and verbal abuse.
As we start a new school year it might be a good time to check your FFA chapter’s Program of Activities and see if there needs to be a renewed emphasis on safety; all kinds of safety.