Focusing on the History of Agricultural Education and Rural America
Have you ever heard the phrase “Forty Acres and a Mule”? Where did it come from and what does it mean? Figure 1. A Black farmer plowing with a mule. The plight of Black farmers in America is shocking. In Continue reading Forty Acres and a Mule (2/4/2022)
The winter Olympics are just days away. People are getting excited about them. Some 80 years ago the farmers and their families in Iowa and Illinois were excited about a different type of Olympics known as the Farm Sports Festival. Continue reading The Farm Sports Festival (1/28/2022)
This is the heading from an article that appeared in a local newspaper a while back. Figure 1 Newspaper Article Heading In what decade would you guess this article appeared? [A. 1930s] [B. 1940s] [C. 1950s] [D. 1960s] [E. 1970s] Continue reading I Place This Class of Seed Potatoes 4-1-3-2 (1/21/2022)
Last week’s Friday Footnote focused on the FFA basketball teams and tournaments that were at the height of their popularity in the 1950s. In response, I received a note from Tim Davis, an agriculture teacher in Missouri who asked if I had Continue reading Put Up Your Dukes (1/14/2022)
“Making Basketball History” was the heading of an article in the January 28, 1938 Bangor (Maine) Daily News. So, who made basketball history? It was the Presque Isle Future Farmers basketball team. They had finished the season with a 20-1 record. Continue reading Making Basketball History (1/7/2022)