Evening star., 1942-05-31
Women Farm Food for Freedom

"I don't think there is a strong en-
playable man working a farm within
so miles of Charleston. If they're not in
the armed forces they're in the ship
yards. But the food for freedom Is
being produced anyway by the women"
said a South Carolina editor recently.
Surveys show that in the entire Ma
ton the farmers wife, the farmers
daughter and the farmers mother are
replacing the menfolks, doubling their
work and expanding their stock to make
their 1912 quotas for agriculture pro-
duction goals.
Americas first year at war Is sending
thousands of men to the armed forces
and thousands of women to the fields.
A survey of more than 41,000 farms
made by the United States Department
Of Agriculture showed that some 13
per cent of the total workers on these
farms were women in April, 1912, COM
pared with the pre-war figure OF IA
per cent. In the Carolinas, Georgia,
Florida, the Dakotas, Washington and
Oregon as many as 20 per cent Of all
agricultural workers were reported to be
women.
producing the food for freedom
rather than rushing into town on thin
ming tires to knit and sew Is the farm
woman's war work" said Mrs. Minnie
Fisher Cunningham, information spe-
cialist at the Agricultural Conservation
and Adjustment Agency.
A Texas cotton and timber farmer
herself, Mrs. Cunningham spends three
fourths of her time with agricultural
agents and farm women in the Nation.
Since Pearl Harbor one of my major
jobs has been to get official recognition
of the fact that the greatest war work
of farm women is sticking right at their
jobs on the farm-only taking on
heavier and heavier tasks as the men
folks leave. Until recently farm women
have been urged on all sides to drop
their poultry raising, dairying and grow
in civilian defense activities"
Recognition of the importance Of work
on the farm finally came from Secretary
of Agriculture Wickard and Mrs. Roose-
welt, with the result that farm women
are feeling their Importance in the war
effort for the first time.
A radio station in Kansas City, Mo,
is giving citations to those women who
produce their quota of eggs, milk and
vegetables. The Governors of Colorado
and Tennessee are giving certificates
to farm families who reach their quotas
and exceed them.
Farm women have definite production
goals set by statisticians. nutritionists
and other experts here at the depart
ment. They know that their first and
foremost job is to make those quotas
this year. Knitting and sewing and
drives for enriched bread they know
can be handled by other women who
don't have actual production to worry
about continued Mrs. Cunningham,
who in her comfortable, smiling appear
ance looks like the ideal American farm
woman.
Women who have never done machine
milking before are now taking on that
job on night or morning shifts, freeing
the man on the place for other work.
Women who have never been near the
farm tractor are now running it like
old hands.
Women on Tractors.
The Miles family in ,Atchison County,
Mo, is typical. says Mrs. Cunningham
Mr.. Miles had the help Of two hired
men before the war in operating his
480-acre farm. War has called one OF
the men to a war plant. A family con-
ference resulted In calling Miles retired
father back to work and in teaching
Mrs. Miles how to operate the tractor.
Today Mr.. Miles starts out in the morn
ing at 5 O'Clock and runs the tractor
till lunch. Then Mrs. Miles, former
city worker, having prepared lunch,
tended her garden and chickens In the
morning, goes out to the field and
runs the tractor for two hours while
her husband eats and takes an hours
rest Certain afternoons Miles father
takes over the tractor while the son
goes into town and dispenses corn to
the feeders Of Northwest Missouri.
Mrs. Miles leaves her 2-year-old daugh-
ter with her mother-in-law while she
tractors the field. In addition to her
housework, her garden, her tractoring
and the doubled work entailed In dou-
bling the farm output In poultry and
corn, Mrs. Miles attends first-aid class
once q week.
On the small farms of the Nation
which the Department of Agriculture
stresses are the core Of the food for
freedom" effort, the farm family labor"
anonymously described by statisticianS
turns out to be none other than the
farmers wife or daughter or mother.