STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann
UNL Extension Educator

     I just looked at the calendar as I sat down to write this week’s edition and it dawned on me that this is the anniversary of “the day which will live in infamy.” Sometime we forget this important day as our “greatest generation” fades into history. It is important however to people like me as my father, uncles and neighbors were drawn into war that was not expected or warranted. It had a huge effect on families, communities and our nation and in particular agriculture.  Let’s take a look at this historic event and perhaps learn about my assertions about how it shaped our country and especially agriculture. 
     December 7 marks the 72nd anniversary of that attack on Pearl Harbor. The commemoration of which still brings up memories of more than Pearl Harbor, but of the entire American effort in World War II: the phenomenal production of planes and tanks and munitions by American industry; millions of young men enlisting (with thousands lying about their age to get into the service); the men who led the war, then and now seeming larger than life—Churchill and F.D.R., Eisenhower and MacArthur, Montgomery and Patton; and of the battles themselves in which uncommon valor was a common virtue: Midway, D-Day, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima, to name only a few. Most of us today do not know those events directly but have encountered them in history books. And when we think of World War II, the people who come to mind first are our parents, grandparents: the men and women of the Greatest Generation who are our surest link to the past. 
     "December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." This is what millions of Americans heard spoken by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on December 8, 1941 as they sat by their family’s radio. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5166/. You can just imagine the reaction, the shock and fear. You can also almost feel the spirit of patriotism running through the veins of young men like my father who would enlist to avenge the attack and protect our Country. I can envision both of my grandfather’s responses as they had fought in World War I, which was earlier declared to be “the war to end all wars.” Can you imagine the tears of mothers and wives who saw their husbands off ---and the real fear of them not coming back?  Think of all the farms that lost the young, and even not so young, producers. I for one remember my grandfather telling of how my dad going to war affected their farm which was a combination grain, livestock and dairy farm.  That had to have a huge impact on agriculture all across our state and our nation. I will try to give just a hint on how it did.
     Agriculture went through a major, major change during the Second World War. When the war was over, you were dealing with a totally new and different product. Agriculture was totally changed. It had to make rapid adjustments because of labor and the Nation’s need for food and fiber for the war effort. Up to World War II agriculture was just considered a way of life. It had nothing to do with a business. Farming was forced into the transition in the late '30s through the early '40s from a mule or team of horses and a “self-sustaining” enterprise to a two row tractor. The early tractors and equipment had to suffice, as with the war effort there were none to be had. Farmers had to do with what they had and neighbor sharing was a necessity. Parts were at a premium and there certainly were not much if any new equipment. One man on the tractor did what six people did with a mule or a team of horses and had to be utilized.  One thing is for certain. The war changed agriculture and it forever changed the face of agriculture. 
     When the war was over and industries continued to expand, many returning veterans went to work in factories, many of the farm kids who were now seasoned men never came back to the farms. Those that did come back had a hard time finding farms or farmland unless the family saved it for them when they did come home.  Some, like my father, struck out on their own and risked everything to buy land or rented land from aging landowners.  Others were luckier and their families saved the land for them or others married into a farming operation when they came home. That is when agriculture really started a turn around. Factories that had sprung up because of the war started shifting to automobiles, combines, tractors and farm equipment.  Welders that were used to build tanks and ships were distributed across the country and ag teachers were given the responsibility of teaching welding to farmers who then used that “new technology” to build and repair on their own farms.  Those classes were even offered when I started teaching and I had the opportunity to teach adult welding or vet classes and continued for several years afterwards.      
     One only has to read an editorial from the WWII era that reads –"The war has made the farmer almost the most important person in the county, and farming has become as essential a war-time business as is the manufacturer of planes, tanks, guns and ammunition." It does seem to me sometimes that our country has forgotten the vital role and need of the American farmer. I am afraid that the generations that have followed mine have no idea what agriculture provides and how important it is to our future and especially how important it is in time of war. I am afraid too that they have not been taught about what these people endured. The Greatest Generation's lives and prevailing accomplishments serve as a reminder of what our country can achieve through shared sacrifice and hard work. I hope we never see another war, but if we do I can guarantee you that agriculture would be on the front line and play the role that it played during both WWI and WWII. I salute all the men and women, who because of the attack on our Country on this date 72 years, took on the mantle of soldier, sailor, nurse or farmer and helped secure the safety and freedom of our nation. Thank you for your service!


   The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home