l I IN WM 1 I {III _cm\>oo £3» f3iLOW-UP ETSDY CF YOUNG MEN 2N MECHEGAN W'HG RECIEVED THE STATES FAM‘EER DEGREE DURHfi FHE FEREOD $513 79 1947 Thesis For The Degree c? M. An MECHIGAN S?ATE COLLEGE ?axfcn Rat-hem“ Miller 1948 {I V U This is to certify that the thesis entitled A FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF YOUNG MEN IN MICHIGAN WHO RECEIVED THE STATE FARMER DEGREE DURING THE PERIOD 19% to 19147 presented by TEXTON ROBERT MILLER has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for M . A; degree in__EC_11)-_C £121.09 M1795 A FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF YOUIG MEN IN MICHIGAN WHO RECEIVED IRE STATE FARMER DEGREE DURING THE PERIOD 1940 to 1947 By Texton Robert Miller A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Education 1948 THESIS ii ACKFOWLELGFERQS This study was conducted under the direction of the following committee: H. M. Byram, Chairman G. P. Beyoe R. Vanfioesen L. J. Luker The writer wishes to express his appreciation and indebtedness to the members of the committee and V. H. Noll for their helpful suggestions, guidance and criticisms in completing this study; to E. A. Schuler for his assistance with the sampling procedure; to the teachers of vocational agriculture for securing the addresses of the State Farmers; to the State Farmers who provided the data used in the study; and to Earl C. McKim for his personal interest in furthering a continuation study of his work. 2072-1")..- TABLE OF CONTEKIS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . Definition of terms used. . . . . . Future Farmers of America . . . . State Farmer Degree . . . . . . . Purposes of the study . . . . . . . Procedure followed. . . . . . . . . II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. . . . . . . Literature on State Farmers . . . . Literature on occupations of former of vocational agriculture . . . . III. PRESENTATION OF DATA. . . . . . . . . IV. SUMMARY AND COECLUSIONS . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . .'. . . . . Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDIX. 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 students A. Qualifications for State Farmer Degree . . . . B. Address request form 1 . . . . . . . C. Address request form 2 . . . . . . . D. Check-list used to gather data . . . E. First letter to State Farmers. . . . Second letter to State Farmers . . . ”J G. flhird letter to State Farmers. . . . iii AGE QQobCfltOlONl-J 10 ’16 36 36 59 42 46 47 49 50 51 53 54 55 IABLE I. II. III. IV. VI. VII. VIII. LIST OF TABLES Distribution of Young men Receiving and Returning Check-lists According to Year in Which Degree was Received. . . . . . . . . . A Comparison of Occupational Status of Two Groups of State Farmers of Michigan. . . . . A Comparison of Farming Status of Two Groups of State Farmers of Michigan . . . . . . . . Changes in Farming Status of 110 Young Men Farming in 1948 by Years After Receiving the State Farmer Degree. . . . . . . . . . . . . A Comparison of Participation in Education Be- yond High School Between Iwo Groups of State Farmers of Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . A Comparison of Participation of Two Groups of State Farmers in Community Organizations and ACtiVit 16$ 0 O O O O 0 O O O O O O O O O O 0 Reasons Given by 116 State Farmers for Leaving the Occupation of Full-time Farming. . . . . Evaluation By 145 State Farmers of Helpfulness of Several Factors in Becoming Established in Farlning o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o '0 0 iv PAGE 17 18 22 24 26 30 53 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE I. Distribution of State Farmers in Relation to Membership in the F. F. A. after Leaving High SChOOl. O O O O O O O O O O C O O O O O O O O O 54 , CHAPTER I IETRODUCTION Establishment in farming is recognized as the primary objective of vocational education in agriculture. When a student of vocational agriculture receives the degree of State Farmer, he is recognized as the possessor of a well- developed farming program, designed to help him become es- tablished in farming. One realistic approach to the evalua- tion of vocational agriculture is to determine the occupa- tional status of these young men. McKim1 reported a follow-up study of State Farmers of Nichigan in 1942. Re investigated the occupational status and leadership activities of 294 young men who received the State Farmer degree during the period 1950 to 1959, inclusive. McKim found only 56.1 per cent of these State Farmers estab- lished in full-time or part-time farming. This result was disappointing from the view-point of many teachers of voca- tional agriculture. It was to be hoped by these teachers that a study of the more recent and larger group of State Farmers would show that a larger percentage were becoming established in farming than was indicated by McKim's study. 1 Earl C. JcKim, "A Follow-up Study of Young Men in Michigan Who Received the State Farmer Degree During the Ten-Year Period 1950 to 1959." iaster's thesis, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 1946. 42 pp. It is of great importance to make available, for future guidance in the training of prospective farmers, a knowledge of the difficulties that State Farmers and other students face and the value of some of the helps they re- ceive in reaching their goal of establishment in farming. State Farmers must show, in addition to outstanding farming programs, evidences of leadership in school, chapter and community organizations. It is of further interest to determine to what extent this ability carries over into adult life. To secure the foregoing information, the writer con- ducted a study of the 614 young men in Michigan who received the State Farmer Degree during the period 1940 to 1947. I. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED Future Farmers g§_America. "The Future Farmers of America is a national organization for students of voca- tional agriculture."2 State Farmer Degree. Each year the Michigan associa- tion of the Future Farmers of America awards the degree of State Farmer to its outstanding members. The qualifications for election to the degree as set up by the national association3 require the candidate to be regularly enrolled 2 Official Manual for Future Farmers 92 America (Baltimore: The French-Bray Printing Company, 19455, . 15. 3 Ibid., pp. 15-16. in vocational agriculture or to have completed all of the vocational agriOJlture offered. He must have earned by his own efforts from farming or other agricultural work and have productively invested at least $250. At least two thirds of this amount must have been earned from his supervised farm- ing program, indicating that he is making progress toward becoming established in farming. Each state is entitled to elect ten State Farmers annually, but in a state Where membership exceeds five hundred, not more than 2 per cent of the total membership shall be elected.4 II. PURPOSES OF THE STUDY The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the present occupational status of young men in Michigan who have received the State Farmer Degree during the period, 1940 to 1947; (2) to determine some of the factors related to flieir present occupational status; (5) to compare the findings of this study with the report of the first Michigan study of State Farmers made by McKim;5 (4) to provide sug- gestions for guidance in the training of prospective farm- ers o 4 See Appendix A for the copy of qualifications for election to the degree of State Farmer. 5 McKim, loc. cit. III. PROCEDURE FOLLOWED A list of the 614 young men in Michigan who received the State Farmer degree during the period 1940 to 1947 was secured from the records of the Michigan Association of Future Farmers of America, located in Lansing. A separate list was made for each school with the names of their State Farmers arranged in order of years in which they received the State Farmer Degree. Because of the size of the group of State Farmers, it was decided that only half of them would be included in the study in order to reduce the amount of labor involved. A sampling technique was used in which the group was reduced to 511 names, but the number of State Farmers from each school was proportional to the total number on the list of each school. The procedure consisted of arranging the lists according to the number of State Farmers produced from each sdhool and selecting every other name on each list. For sdnools with only one State Farmer, one member from every other school was taken. For schools with only two State Farmers, the sampling alternated between first and second members on each school's list. This last step was taken in order to keep the sample representative by years of the total 614 State Farmers. Two form letters and a personal note were used to- secure the addresses of the young men.6 The form letters were mimeographed and the names of the State Farmers desired were added to the forms sent to their respective schools. The first request for addresses was sent out in May, 1948, and a follow-up letter in September. A third attempt to get addresses was made through a personal appeal on a postal card sent out two weeks later. In several cases, after the first request was not answered, and where the vocational agriculture department was found to be discontinued, a per- sonal letter was sent to the superintendent. In this way, addresses of 297, or 95.5 per cent of the 511 State Farmers were located. A trial check-list and a letter to State Farmers were prepared after a personal interview with Earl C. McKim of Lansing, who had used a similar device in his study7 of State Farmers. Two State Farmers at Marlette were inter- viewed personally by the writer and asked to complete the check-list to determine its clarity and ease of completion. No major changes in the check-list were made. The check-list8 and letter were mailed to each of the State Farmers for whom addresses had been obtained. 6 See Appendix B and C for copies of address request forms. 7 McKim, loc. cit. 8 See Appendix D for copy of the check-list used, and Appendix E for the letter sent to State Farmers. 6 Check-lists and letters continued to be sent to State Farm- 9 W88 era as more addresses were returned. A second letter sent to the State Farmers in September. A third letter10 was sent out three weeks later. In this way, returns were received from 262, or 84.2 per cent of the 511 State Farmers in the group used for this study. As a test of the representativeness of the sample, the first eighty-four returns were compared with the second and the third eighty—four returns for Tables II, III, V, VI, VII, and VIII. By inspection, it was decided that the differences were too small or inconsistent to be of signifi- cance o 9 See Appendix F for second letter sent to State Farmers. 10 See Appendix G for the third letter sent to State Farmers. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE There is much literature pertaining to establishment in farming of students in vocational agriculture. A con- siderable portion of these studies is devoted to reporting factors associated with establishment in farming. However, few studies have been conducted to determine the occupa- tional status, and factors related to establishment in farming, of the State Farmer group. 1 Literature 22 State Farmers. McKim made a study of 294 young men in Michigan who received the State Farmer degree during the period 1950 to 1959 inclusive. McKim's data show that 56.1 per cent of these young men were es- tablished in full—time or part-time farming and 22.5 per cent were engaged in related occupations. This makes a total of 78.6 per cent of these State Farmers engaged in farming or related occupations. He points out that the per cent of State Farmer young men in farming was not as large as might be expected. He also mentions the fact that only 10.5 per cent of the State Farmers had attended young—farmer .classes in agriculture and that only 15.2 per cent had participated in adult-farmer classes. At the time of 1 McKim, loc. cit. McKim's study, the young-farmer and adult classes had not become very widely used in Michigan. 2 emphasize Further data secured from McKim's study the leadership and scholarship ability of the group he studied. Nearly half, 41.4 per cent, had attended college at some period after leaving high school and 52.0 per cent had held office in some organization. A study of 455 Ohio State Farmers3 showed 87 per cent of this group to be in farming or occupations related to farming. Fifty-seven per cent were farming full-time or part-time. Weiler points out, however, that of those young men who had advanced to the American Farmer Degree, 80 per cent were established in farming. He concludes that the farming program is the greatest factor or of greatest value in helping young men to become established in farming. He also observed that those State Farmers in the upper one third of their class were more likely to leave farming and enter other occupations. Wayman's4 follow-up study of distinguished West Virginia Future Farmers does not corroborate all of the 2 McKim, op. cit., p. 29. 5 Warren G. Weiler, "A Study of State Farmers in Ohio." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:254-255, June, 1942. 4 W. H. Wayman, "A Follow—up of Distinguished West Virginia Future Farmers." The Agricultural Education Magazine. 12:75, October, 1959. 9 findings of Weiler. Wayman reports that the difference be- tween State and American Farmers is not significant, but that both groups are above average in their progress toward establishment in farming. He cites the following as being among the reasons for State Farmers not farming: (1) at- tending college, (2) earning money to attend college, (3) lack of money, and (4) "I did not like farming any longer." Mr. Wayman suggests that the F.F.A. is accomplish- ing its purpose of leadership, but points out that 19 per cent of the West Virginia State Farmers are going into non- related occupations and only 29 per cent are farming full- time. Bertrand and 'lhurman5 made a study of 407 State Farmers in Texas over a period of eleven years. They found that 51 per cent of these young men engaged in agricultural pursuits of which farming constituted only 51.5 per cent. They brought out the following questions: (1) ”Is our in- tended program falling just a wee bit short somewhere?" (2) "Are teachers hazy about the qualities needed for a State Farmer?" (5) "Where can the blame be laid for such large numbers of State Farmers severing connections with agriculture?" In a comparison of State Farmers and non-State 5 J. R. Bertrand and R. L. Thurman, "Eleven Years with the State Farmers of Texas." The Agricultural Education Magazine. 123156, January, 1940. 10 Farmers in Virginia, Sharitz6 found that State Farmers were superior to non-State Farmers in all factors studied. His study shows that 48 per cent of the State Farmers were established in full-time farming as compared to 57 per cent for the non-State Farmers. Twenty-five per cent of the State Farmers left farming for non-related occupations whereas 45 per cent of the non-State Farmers left farming and related occupations. The State Farmer group also showed greater participation in community activities. A brief summary of the foregoing studies of State Farmers shows establishment in farming ranging from 51.5 per cent to 57 per cent. A range of 58.2 per cent to 87 per cent is indicated for establishment infarming or related occupations. From 15 per cent to 25 per cent of the State Farmers were reported in occupations not related to agri- culture. Literature 32 occupations 23 former students pf vocational agriculture. Many studies have been made of former students of vocational agriculture without regard to their status in the Future Farmers of America organization. Some of these studies will be reviewed here in order to establish a concept of the success that the average student of vocational agriculture is having in becoming established 6 T. J. Sharitz, "Comparison of State Farmers and Non-State Farmers in Virginia." The Agricultural Education Magazine. 15:172-175, March, 1941. 11 in farming. Several of these studies contained suggestions for that part of this writer's check-list which asked for reasons for the lack of establishment in farming. Adam.7 made a study of former students of vocational agriculture of Oregon and found that 28 per cent went into farming while 41 per cent chose occupations unrelated to agriculture. He says, "We can't stop When boys are through high school." He is implying that the responsibility of the school for encouraging establishment in farming should go beyond the high school age. 8 reports in a study of 172 boys in one com- Bartley munity in Michigan that 41.5 per cent entered farming and 46.6 per cent chose occupations not related to agriculture. Clark9 in a study conducted with fifty former stu- dents of vocational agriculture in Richland County, Illinois, emphasizes that 87.5 per cent of those farming had partner- ship status. He points out the great variation in factors mentioned by the young men as influencing or helping them to become farmers, and concludes that leaders of farm boys must 7 R. M. Adam, "Follow-up Study of Former Students." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 15:95, November, 1940. 8 Hugh J. Bartley, "A Follow-up Study of Pupils Enrolled in Vocational Agriculture in the High School at Mason, Michigan." Master's thesis, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 1942. p. 28. 9 Lloyd T. Clark, "How Fifty Young Men Became Established in Farming." The Agricultural Education Maga- zine, 123152-154, January, 1940. 12 be especially well trained and able to find the particular interest of the boy and to guide him. Deyoe10 carried out a study of 818 farm-reared boys of Michigan who had one or more years of vocational agri- culture, and reports that 60.5 per cent were established in farming and 55 per cent in non-agricultural occupations. His study shows further that the boys included in the last five-year period, 1950 to 1955, showed the greatest pro- portion established in farming, namely, 70.9 per cent. One of the major reasons given by the boys for choosing farming was that they had a chance to farm. Deyoe suggests further study on the question, "What one thing kept you from advanc- ing?" ’ Ekstrom11 lists several factors in his study associated with establishment in farming, and says assistance from par- ents and relatives are the most important ones. He states that building up savings and personal assets are the biggest problems, followed by the securing of land.' Ekstrom concludes that boys need to be taught how to establish their credit and that teachers must be familiar with placement opportuni- ties. He states that the group out of school is interested in matters pertaining to establishment of a home, and in 10 G. P. Deyoe, Young Men From Michigan Farms. Bulletin No. 256, Lansing, Michigan. State Board of Control for Vocational Education, 1959. pp. 9-10. 11 G. F. Ekstrom, "How Graduates Become Established." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 17:14-15, July, 1944. 15 various rural and community activities, as well as farm problems. Hoopeslz published a study on one hundred young men of Muscatine, Iowa which shows that 64 per cent engaged in farming while only 19 per cent left the field of agriculture entirely. A total of 74 per cent engaged in farming and related occupations. He suggests that future surveys con- tain the following questions as one method of determining why young men leave farming: (1) "Did you lack capital?” (2) "Was the outlook for agriculture poor?" (5) "Could you get good cash pay at another job?" (4) "Was there an excess of help at home?" Hamlinls reported in 1941 that the job of establish- ing boys in farming can be more successful than the past record shows. He points out that one Illinois teacher had, over a twelve-year period, succeeded in establishing 90 per cent of his students in farming. Hamlin feels that enough is known so that at least 60 per cent of those enrolled will farm and 75 per cent will engage in some agricultural occu- pation. He emphasizes that young-farmer classes and adult- farmer classes need to be increased. 12 L. B. Hoopes, "Factors Affecting Establishment in Farming." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 10:194-195, April, 1958. 15 H. M. Hamlin, "How Can We Identify Cur Prospective Farmers in High School?" The Agricultural Education Maga- zine, l5:146-147, February, 1941. 14 Hill14 found that, in a study of Texas young men from one vocational department over a period of 19 years, 47 per cent of the graduates were in farming and 55 per cent were in occupations not related to farming. Byram15 reported a study of 490 out-of—school young men on farms in eleven Michigan communities. Included in Byram's study were 219 former students of vocational agri- culture of which 40.2 per cent could be classified as farm laborers and 57.8 per cent as farm partners. Only 8.7 per cent were renter-operators and 5.2 per cent were owner- operators. Byraml6 also points out in his study that less than one per cent of the 490 young men owned land in their own right and only 10.8 per cent owned land in partnership. Furthermore, Byram reports that only 20.1 per cent owned any equipment with which they might work in becoming established in farming. Of this group, 56.7 per cent had not advanced beyond the farm—laborer stage in establishment in farming and only 8.4 per cent had advanced to either a renter or owner status. 14 J. M. Hill, "What Becomes of Vocational Agriculture Students." The Agricultural Education Maggzine, 15:175, March, 1945. 15 H. M. Byram, Out-Of-School Young Men 95 Farms. Bulletin No. 274, Lansing, Michigan. State Board of Control for Vocational Education, 1941. p. 11. 15 Ibid., p. 14. 15 From these studies, it is quite evident that there is considerable range in the proportion of vocational students who become established in farming. The exact percentages range from 28.0 to 64. At the same time the evidence shows that fewer of the State Farmers are found in occupations not related to agriculture. Three studies of the total group of stadents of vocational agriculture report over 41 per cent in non-related occupations. Only one study reports as many as 25 per cent of State Farmers in non-related work. From the standpoint of establishment in farming, State Farmers have a very narrow margin over the non-State Farmer group. In many of these studies the writers point out the implications of the data for future guidance in the training of prospective farmers. They insist that since establish— ment in farming is the primary aim in vocational agriculture, more emphasis should be placed on securing a'more favorable ratio of established young men. While one study indicates that a goal of 90 per cent established is not impossible, and that at least 60 per cent should be a reachable goal, most studies ask for more information about why young farmers leave farming. CHAPTER III PRESENTATION OF DATA This is a study of 511 State Farmers of Michigan whose names were taken, by a sampling technique, from the -total group of 614 young men who received the degree during the period 1940 to 1947. Addresses were secured for 504 of the group and check-lists were mailed to them. Since seven letters were returned unopened, indicating incorrect addresses, only 297 received letters. Two hundred sixty-two returned check-r lists; a return of 88.2 per cent of those reached, or 84.2 per cent of the original 511. Of 125 schools included in the sample, 117 are represented in this study, a return from State Farmers in 95.1 per cent of the schools sampled. Table I shows that except for the 1940 group the returns were quite evenly distributed over the years studied. Although the major consideration in fiie sampling procedure was to make the sample representative by SleOlS, it is evident that the sample by years is fairly representative of the entire group by years. A comparison is made in Table II of the occupational status of two groups of State Fanners of Michigan. Data 1 for Group I were taken.from McKim's study and data for 1 McKim, op. cit., p. 14. 17 TABLE I DISTRIBUTION OF YOUNG MEN RECEIVING AND RETURNING CHECK-LISTS ACCORDING TO YEAR IN WHICH DEGREE WAS RECEIVED * Number Number Number Per cent Year degree who received receiving returning returning was received State Farmer check—lists check-lists check-lists degree ’1940. . . . . 52 13 9 69.2 1941. . . . . 58 82 27 84.4 1942. . . . . 52 23 20 87.0 1945. . . . . 66 35 29 83.0 1944. . . . . 62 36 26 78.8 1945. . . . . 109 52 46 82.7 1946. . . . . 107 53 47 88.7 1947. . . . . 128 70 61 87.1 Total . . . . 614 311 262 84.2 18 TABLE‘II A COMPARISON OF OCCUPATIONAL STATUS OF TWO GROUPS OF STATE FARMERS OF MICHIGAN Group 1* Group 2 1942 study 1948 study Occupational __ Differ- status ence Number Per Number Per (GB—G1) cent cent Farming full-time. . . 87 45.6 145 56.0 +10.4** Farming part—time With Other work. 0 o o 20 10.5 17 6.6 "' 509 Total in full-time ‘ and part-time farming 107 56.1 162 62.6 + 6.5** Occupation related to fanming***. . . . . 46 22.5 40 15.4 - 7.1 iotal in farming and related occupations. 150 78.6 202 78.0 - .6 Occupation not related . to agriculture . . . . 41 21.4 57 22.0 + .6 lotal reporting. . . 191 100.0 259 100.0 * McKim, op. cit., p. 14. ** Double asterisks indicate differences found to be statistically significant. *** "Occupations related to farming" include college students in agriculture. "Non—related" include college students taking courses of study not related to agriculture. 19 Group II come from the present study. Of the latter group, only 259 State Farmers returned data usable in this table. Check-lists for three other young men were returned, but not included here because one was deceased, and the other two confined to army hospitals. In the latter two cases, both were farming in 1947. Wherever data from fi1is study have been compared with data from McKim'sZ study, the differences have been tested for significance using the following formulas: ta.yG§I‘IT7§; and 6p: YE—§—3. Table II shows that 62.6 per cent of the State Farm- ers in this study were engaged in farming and 15.4 per cent in a related occupation. This makes a total of 78 per cent who were pursuing occupations for which they had received some trainirg, arfl.agrees closely with the results of McKim's3 study of 1950 to 1939 State Farmers. Only w611er,4 of Ohio, has reported a larger percentage of State Farmers in farming and r e1 ated o ccupatio ns . In this study, however, the 62.6 per cent of young men reported in full-time or part-time farming is larger than any of the studies cited ininie review of literature and furthermore, a larger portion of the State Farmers, 56.0 2 . McKim, loc. cit. 3 McKim, op. cit., p. 12. 4 Weiler, op. cit., p. 254. 20 per cent, were in full-time farming than was reported by any of the above studies,5 and this portion is significantly higher than the 45.6 per cent reported by McKim. It is pertinent to note that the increase in per- centage of full-time farmers can be accounted for in the decreases of part-time farmers and young men engaged in occupations related to agr101lture. The average age of the young men included in the present study is 21.4 years compared to an average age of 25.4 years for the State Farmers in McKim's study. It is reasonable to assume that this age difference of four years would make more significant the differences in establishment in farming. Being an older group, the State Farmers studied by McKim had a longer period in which to become more fully established. This difference in ages can be largely accounted for by the following facts: (1) McKim's data came from State Farmers who had received their degree from three to thirteen years prior to his study. (2) The present study involves data from young men who have received the State Farmer degree from one to eight years prior to this study. While this study shows that State Farmers of recent years in Michigan reached new heights in percentage of 5 or. ante, pp. 1, 8, 9, 10. 21 establishment in fanning, Heepes,6 of Iowa, reported 64 per cent engaged in farming and only 19 per cent engaged in occupations not related to agriculture. These are slightly better than.the results of the present study and were made by students of vocational agriculture without regard to State Farmer status. It is pertinent to note that this study exceeds the goals of 60 per cent in farming and 75 per cent in farming and related occupations set by Hamlin7 in 1941. Table III shows the farming status of 145 State Farm- ers of this study who reported being in farming as compared with a similar group from McKim's study.8 7411116 it is dif- ficult to make comparison in this table since some in McKim's group reported more than one status, there is a decided difference in the percentages reporting as owners. Twenty- four and two tenths per cent of the earlier study were own- ers and only 6.9 per cent of the present study. More young farmers in the present study reported in the laborer class and none reported as a farm manager. In connection with fi1is portion of the study it might be well to note that in times of high prices, the cost of securing a farm is a big financial burden. This is further 6 Hoopes, op. cit., p. 194-195. 7 Hamlin, 0p. cit., p. 146-147. 8 McKim, op. cit., p. 16. 22 TABLE III A COMPARISON OF FARMING STATUS OF TWO GROUPS OF STATE FARYERS OF MICHIGAN ~22 Group 1--1942* Group 2--1947 Farming status No. Per No. Per Difference cent cent Owners . . . . . . 21 24.2 10 6.9 .-17.5 Managers . . . . . 4 4.6 Renters. . . . . . 15 17.2 27 18.6 + 1.4 Partners . . . . . 46 52.9 85 57.2 + 4.5 Farm laborers. . . 9 10.4 20 15.8 + 5.4 Others . . . . . . 4** 4.6 5*** 2.1 - 2.5 Unknown. . . . . . 4 4.6 I 2 1.4 - 3.2 Totals . . . . . . 103 118.5****145 100.0 Number reporting . 87 145 * McKim, op. cit., p. 16. ** Herdsman for large farms. *** Armed service in 1947, but farming in 1948 **** Per cent reporting is over 100 since some reported more than one status. 23 indicated in the high per cent of young men in the partner- ship stage of establishment in farming. The number of young men reporting as renters, 18.6 per cent, is not significantly higher than that reported by McKim. Table IV shows the changes by years in farming status of 110 State Farmers which took place from the time they received.their degree through the year 1947. The data for the 1940 State Farmers were not included because only nine check-lists were returned, and the 1946 and 1947 State Farm- ers were omitted because they have received their State Farmer degree so recently. The farming status of the State Farmers at the time they entered the armed services is considered undhanged for the years they were in the service. In Table IV, the State Farmers show a steady decrease in numbers in the "laborer" status for each of the year- groups studied. The number of partnerships has increased, although not to a great extent. However, it is to be ex- pected that the increase in partnerships would not be very large because more than half of‘the State Fermers were in partnership at the time they received their degree. The 1941 group shows the largest gain in partnerships of all the groups, but it is pertdxent to note that (1) they had the smallest proportion of their members in the partnership classification at the time they received their degree, and (2) they have had a longer time in which to become establish- ed than the other groups. 24 TABLE IV CHANGES IN FARMING STATUS OF 110 YOUNG MEN FARMING IN 1948 BY YEARS AFTER RECEIVING THE STATE FARMER DEG.EE No. of State Farmers in each status by years after re- Farming ceiving State Farmer degree Differ- status No. Year“ ence** O l 2 5 4 5 6 Laborers 15 1941 5 4 4 5 5 2 2‘ -5 20 1942 6 4 4 4 2 1 -5 18 1945 6 4 4 5 l -5 26 1944 4 4 2 l -5 21 1945 5. 6 4 -1 Partners 15 1941 6 7 6 7 7 9 10 +4 20 1942 9 8 8 8 10 9 0 18 1945 11 12 12 12 10 -1 26 1944 5 4 6 6 +1 21 1945 10 9 10 O Renters 15 ~ 1941 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 +1 20 1942 2 2 2 2 5 +5 18 1945 1 1 1 4 +4 26 1944 1 2 2 5 +2 21 1945 2 2 1 -1 Owners 15 1941 O 20- 1942 l 2 2 2 2 5 +2 18 1945 . 1 2 +2 26 1944 1 1 1 1_ 0 21 1945 2 2 4 +2 * This refers to the total number of young men in any farming status in 1948 who received the State Farmer degree in the year indicated in the adjacent column to the right. ** This difference was found by subtracting the number in column "0" from the number in the last column in which farming status is indicated. In the renter classification, all year-groups show an increase except the 1945 State Farmers, and they have received their degree only three years ago. Few State Farm- ers classify as owners in this table, but their numbers have increased over the years covered in this study. In summary of Table IV, it might be stated that the evidence indicates that the State Farmers studied made ad- vancements from the laborer status into a partnership, a renter, or an owner status. In Table V, a comparison is made between two groups of State Farmers of Michigan on the basis of participation in education beyond high sdnool. Group two, State Farmers in the present study, had only 11.5 per cent who attended young-farmer classes. This is almost identical with what McKim9 found in his study of State Farmers of eight years ago. State Farmers of the present study took part in adult- farmer and veterans-institute classes in almost equal numbers, which amount to 7.7 per cent each. These figures fall short of the results of‘studies in other states. Wellerlo found in a study of a sinilar group that 82 per cent had at some time been enrolled in young-farmer or adult classes. 9 Ibid., pp. 19, 20. 0 Weiler, op. cit., pp. 254. A COMPARISON OF TABLE V PART'ICI PAT ION BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL BETWEEN TWO EDTCAT' ION GROUPS OF STATE FARNERS OF MICHIGAN 26 *- Group 1* Group 2 1950-1959 1940-1947 Differ- Kind of education ence (GE-GI) No. Per No. Per cent cent Number reporting. . . . . 191 261 Young-farmer class. . . . 20 10.5 50 11.5 + 1.5 AdUlt Class 0 o e o o e o 29 15.2 22 8.4 - 608 Veterans institute. . . . 19 7.5 College . . . . . . . . . 79 41.4 68 26.1 -15.5** Michigan State College. 52 19.9 Other colleges. . . . . 16 6.1 Short course*** . . . . . 45 25.6 67 25.7 + 2.1 * McKim, op. cit., pp. 20, 21. ** Double asterisks indicate differences found to be statistically significant. *** Short course in agriculture at Nichigan State College. 27 Sharitzll reported 29.2 per cent of the Virginia State Farmers as members of young-farmer classes. McKim12 found that 41.4 per cent of his group attended college. This is ccmpared with 26.1 per cent of the present group, which indicates a decided drop in college attendance and has been found to be statistically significant. Nearly three and one half times as many of the present State Farmers attended Michigan State College as attended all other colleges. Twenty-five and seven tenths per cent of the present group attended some fi1ort course at Michigan State College, which compares favorably with the 25.6 per cent reported by McKim. It is pertinent to note here that in 1944 the State Association of the Future Farmers of America dropped the requirement that a State Farmer must be in the upper 40 per cent of his class scholastically.13 Table VI shows a comparison of leadership between two groups of State Farmers of Michigan. It will be seen that Group one, McKim's study,14 has a larger percentage, 91.7, reporting membership in organizations. This is ll Sharitz, op. cit., p. 175. 12 NcKim, op. cit., p. 19. 15 The Michigan Future Farmer, Vol. XIII, No. 5, p.5, May 15, 1944. 14 McKim, op. cit., p. 22. 28 TABLE VI A COMPARISON OF PARTICIPATION OF TWO GROUPS OF STATE FARME.S IN COMXUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AIID ACT IVIT IES Participation in community Group 1* Group 2 Differ- organizations and activities 1950-1959 1940-1947 ence Number reporting. . . . . . . . . 191 261 Organizations Number reporting membership . . 175 219 Per cent. . . . . . . . . . . . 91.7 85.9 - 7.8 Number of memberships . . . . . 511 621 Average per member. . . . . . . 2.9 2.8 - .1 Held office Number holding office . . . . . 91 86 Per cent. . . . . . . . . . . . 52.0 59.5 -12.7** Number of offices held. . . . . 164 147 Average number per member . . . 1.8 1.7 — .1 * McKim, op. cit., p. 25. ** Double asterisks indicate differences found to be statistically significant. 29 compared with 85.9 per cent for the present study. However, the average number of organizations participated in by the young men is practically the same for the two groups. The two groups show a difference, too, in the percentages hold- ing office. Fifty-two per cent of McKim's group that were members of an organization also held office. In the present study, only 59.5 per cent were officers. This difference of 12.7 per cent in favor of "Group 1" has been found to be statistically significant. Again, however, the two groups are similar in the number of offices held per member. If it is assumed that age is a factor in the selection of officers for organizations, then some significance can be attributed to the fact that McKim'515 group were, on the average, fmir years older than the State Farmers of the present study. One of the major purposes of this study was to deter- mine some factors associated with young men.1eaving farming. In making up the items for this part of the check-list, the writer included several of the commonly accepted reasons of young men for leaving the farm. Table VII is a summary of the reasons checked by State Farmers who were not fanning full-time in 1948. Thirty-one per cent of these young men reported that they were attending college at that time. "Lack of land" was a limiting factor for 29.7 per cent, and 15 or. p. 20. TABLE VII REASOhS GIVEN BY 116 STAIE FARMERS FOR LEAVING IHE OCCUPATION OF FULL-TIME FARMING 50 Reasons for leaving the farm Number Per cent College. . . . . . Lack of land . . . Lack of capital. . Armed forces . . . Lack of machinery. Low cash income. . Lack of buildings. Lack of livestock. Couldn't get along with Father . . . . I didn't like farming. . . . . . . . . No progress. . . . Farm run-down. . . Others . . . . . . No future in it. . Wife didn't like farming o o o o o o o 36 35 34 19 15 F’ C) [0 N) Cfl <3 03 Ch ¢> ~J (O 31.0 29.7 29.5 16.4 12.9 8.6 7.8 6.0 5.2 4.5 2.6 2.6 2.6 1.7 1.7 31 "lack of capital" ranked third as a reason for not being in farmiw. Sixteen and four tenths per cent of the group listed "armed forces" as a major factor keeping them from farming. Lack of machinery was diecked by 12.9 per cent as a problem. Lack of buildings and low cash income was mentioned by only 8.6 per cent of the group. It can be noted that many of the commonly conceded "causes" of boys leaving the farm did not receive much attention by the boys. Seven items were checked more fre- quently than the item ”coildn't get along with father," which was checked by only six young men. Only five mention- ed the factor "I didn't like farming" as a reason for leav- ing the farm. Only fiiree State Farmers stated that "no progress“ or ”farm run-down" were causes for not being in farming. Just two State Farmers saw "no future" in farming, and only two young men mentioned "my wife didn't like fanning." Waymanl6 in his study of distinguished West Virginia Future Farmers agrees that lack of capital and college attendance are two reasons for State Farmers failing to farm. However, Wayman also stated that two thirds of the group not farming indicated that they did not like fanning any longer. Only 4.3 per cent of the young men in this study reported they did not like farming. 16 Wayman, op. cit., p. 75. 32 Table VIII contains an evaluation of several items as helps to the 145 State Farmers who were established as full- time farmers in 1948. Outstanding among these items is the item of family help. Ninety-one of these young men revealed that their family was of much help and only twenty-four said they received no help from their families. fihe farm pro- grams of these young men ranked high as factors in helping them become established in farming with the livestock projects getting the most credit. While 4-H club work was ranked above Future Farmer chapter activities, it must be remembered that the F.F.A. projects were classified separ- ately from other chapter activities, whereas 4-H club work probably included the 4-H livestock and crop projects in the minds of the young men. Having a "farm of sufficient size" ranked sixth in the list of helps although sixty—five young men mentioned it in the "much help" column, and it was second only to "family help" in this column. In Figure l, the extent of membership beyond high school in the local chapter of the F.F.A. is compared be- tween the farmer and non-farmer groups. lhese graphs show little correlation between membership in the F.F.A. after leaving school and establishment in farming. Both groups took part in F.F.A. to about the same extent their first year beyond high school, which amounted to about 28 per cent. Sixteen and six tenths per cent of the farmer group kept their membership two years and 13.8 per cent of the 55 QABLE VIII EVALUAIICN RY 145 STAQE FARNERS OF TJELPFULYESS OF SEVERAL FACEORS IN PEGONIYG ESQAELISBED IN FARMING No. of State Farmers reporting Rank* Helps Much help Some help No answer 1 Family. . . . . . . . . 91 5O 24 2 F. F. A. livestock projects. . . . . . . . 69 55 41 5 F. F. A. crop projects. 57 51 57 4 Teacher of agriculture. 57 48 4O 5 Agriculture classes . . 58 44 45 6 Farm of sufficient size. . . . . . . . . . 65 26 55 7 4-H club work . . . . . 59 41 65 8 F. F. A. chapter activities. . . . . . . 52 54 59 9 County agent. . . . . . 12 45 90 10 Inheritance o o o o o o 8 10 127 “The rank was found by giving two points to the "much help" column and one point to the some help" column. 54 Did not continue 45. % Did not continue Distribution of 145 farmers in relation to mem- bership in the F.F.A. after leaving high school. Distribution of 116 Non-farmers in relation to membership in the F.F.A. after leaving high school. Did not continue Combined data for both groups (261 men) Figure 1 -Distribution of State Farmers in Relation to Membership in the F.F.A. After Leaving High School 55 non-farmer group continued F.F.A. work. In the third year beyond high school 12.4 per cent of the farmer group were in the F.F.A. and only 8.6 per cent of the non-farmer group. On the whole, 10.5 per cent of the State Farmers continued F.F.A. memberships for three years, 15.2 per cent for two years and 28.5 per cent for one year beyond high school. CHAPTER IV SUMMARY AND CCFCLUSIONS Summary: This is a study of 511 young men in Michi- gan who received the State Farmer degree during the period 1940 to 1947. They were sampled from the total group of 614 State Farmers of this period. This study was made (1) to determine the present occupational status and leadersrip activities of these young men, (2) to determine some of the factors related to their present occupational status, and (5) to provide possible suggestions for guidance in the training of prospective farmers. An effort was made to determine some of the factors associated with their present occupational status in order to provide suggestions for guidance in the training of prospective farmers. 1. Over half of the State Farmers, 56 per cent, were engaged in full-time farming in 1948, a statistically significant gain of 10.4 per cent over a similar group studied in 1942. 2. A total of 62.6 per cent were in full-time and part-time farming, a statistically significant gain of 6.5 per cent over the group studied in 1942. Seventy-eight per cent of the present group were in farming or related occupations, which is almost identical with the previous Michigan study. 57 About one fifth, 22.0 per cent, had left the field of agriculture and related occupations, which is almost identical with the previous Michigan study. Few of the State Farmers of this group, 6.9 per cent, had become established as owners, although 57.2 per cent reported partnerships in farming and 18.6 per cent were classified as renters. Thirteen and eight tenths per cent of the State Farmers had made little progress toward estab- lishment in farming and were classified as laborers. After receiving the State Farmer Degree, State Farmers continued to make gains toward establish- ment in farming as the number in the laborer class decreased and the number of partnerships, renters, and owners increased. Fewer State Farmers in this study had attended college, 26.1 per cent, as compared to the 41.4 per cent for the State Farmers in the former Michigan study. The difference was found to be statistically significant. More than one fourth of the young men in this study, 25.7 per cent, had attended short course at Michigan State College. This is slightly more than the 25.6 percentage recorded by the previous Michigan study. 10. 11. 12. 15. 58 Participation in young-farmer classes, 11.5 per cent, was practically the same as reported for the first Michigan study. Only 8.4 per cent of the State Farmers attended adult classes. The same percentage attended veteran institute classes. The combined percent- age of the attendance in adult classes and veter- ans classes is about equal to the percentage of State Farmers in the first Michigan study who had attended adult classes. Eighty-three and nine tenths per cent of the State Farmers reported membership in organizations. Of this group, 59.5 per.cent had held offices. The first Michigan study showed nearly 92 per cent in organizations and 52 per cent having held office. The difference between the two studies in the percentages holding office was found to be statistically significant. The average memberships per State Farmer and the average number of offices held per member was practically the same for the two Michigan studies. Of the reasons given for leaving farming, "going to college" ranked first with 51.0 per cent of the young men checking it, "lack of land" second with 29.7 per cent, and "lack of capital" third with 29.5 per cent. 59 14. Family help was ranked first by respondents as a factor in becoming established in farming. F.F.A. crop projects were ranked second and third re- spectively. The teacher of agriculture and the vocational agriculture classes were ranked fourth and fifth. Having a farm of sufficient size was ranked second in a list of items entitled as "much help," although it was sixth in the final evaluation. 15. State Farmers who remained in full-time farming continued membership in the Future Farmers organi- zation in slightly larger percentages than non- farmers. The difference increased slightly for the second and third years beyond high school. Fifty-four per cent remained in the F.F.A. at least one year. Conclusions: The following conclusions seem warranted as a result of the present investigation: State Farmers of Michigan are becoming established in some farming status to an increasing extent. The evidence suggests that State Farmers of Michigan are becoming established in full-time farming to a greater extent than was true ten years ago. As the number of State Farmers has increased, the improvement in the degree of establishment in farming has not been accompanied by increased evidences of leadership ability. 40 State Farmers leave farming because of "lack of capital" and "lack of land," as well as, for "going to college." This would seem to indicate that the establish- ment of credit, capital, and land should receive increased emphasis in vocational agriculture. Assuming that young-farmer classes are concerned with the problems of helping young men secure capital, equipment, and land, the small percentage of State Farmers who have attended these classes indicates a need for more emphasis on the establishment of young-farmer classes. If it is assumed that the local chapter of F.F.A. should hold the membership of students of vocational agri- culture for three years after graduation from high school, then it is failing to do so and a study of the reasons for this failure is indicated. In view of the fact that "chapter activities" were rated low as a help to State Farmers in becoming established in farming, a need is indicated for local chapters to study the "supervised farming" section of their program of work. 41 Suggestions for further study: 1. A study of the reasons why Future Farmers are not continuing to a greater extent their memberships in the F. F. A. after leaving high school. 2. A follow-up study of the State Farmers in Michigan from 1949 to 1958. 5. A study of the effect of the supervised farming program of State Farmers upon their establishment in farming. 4. A study of parent-son relationship and its effect upon establishment in farming. BIBLIOGRAPHY ’ BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS White, Wendell. Psychology_g£ Dealing Eith People. The Macmillan Company, new York, 1856. 256 pp. B. I’RIODICAL LITERATURE Adams, Russell M., "Follow-Up Study of Former Students." flhe Agricultural Education Magazine. 15:95, November, 1940. Anderson, C. S., "Out-of-School Rural Youth Enter Farming." lhe Agricultural Education Magazine, 15:16-17, July, 1940. Bertrand, J. R. and Thurman, R. L., "Eleven Years with the State Farmers of flexas." ihe Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:156-157, January, 1940. Clark, Lloyd 1., "How Fifty Young Men Became Established in Farming." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:132- 154. January, 1940. Deyoe, G. P., "A Study of the Association of Certain Factors with the Careers of Young Men from Michigan Farms." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:112, 115, 118, December, 1941. Lowell, G. 8., "Can Young Men Become Established in Farming and Secure a College Education at the Same lime?" 122 Agricultural Education Magazine, 14:105, 115, 118, :ecem- ber, 1941. Ekstrom, G. F., "How Graduates Become Established." flhe Agricultural Education Magazine, 17:14-15, July, 1844. Faust, S. L., "Occupations of Former All-Day Pupils in the Bridgeton, New Jersey Area." ihe Agricultural Education Magazine, 12:95, 98, November, 1959. Hamlin, H. M., "How Can We Identity Our Prospective Farmers in the High School?" The Agricultural Education Maga- zine, 13:l46-l47, February, 1941. 44 Hill, J. M. "what Becomes of Vocational Agriculture Students?" The Agricultural Education Magazine, 15:175, March, 1945. Hoopes, L. B. "Factors Affecting Establishment in Farming." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 10:194-195, Apr 1, Labay Walter. "Future Farmers Grow Into Farming." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 18:256, June, 1946. Nartin, Howard. "Study of Out-of-school Young Men." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 10:34, ‘u ust, 1937. J" C.) Nichol, Marvin J. "Establishment of Former Students of Vocational Agricultura1_on the Home Farm." The Agricultural nducation Magazine, 17:94, FovefibEr, 1944. Sharitz, T. J. "Comparison of State Farmers and Non-State Farmers in Virginia." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 15:172-173, March, 1941. *c—a— Wayman W. H. "A Follow-Up Study of Distinguished West 4 Virginia Future Farmers." he Agriculrural Education Magazine, 12:75, October, 1939. Weiler, Warren G. "A Study of State Farmers in Ohio." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 14:234-255, June, I942. Young Clayton, "The Place of the Future Farmers of America in the Improvement of A riculture." The Agricultural Education Magazine, 12: 36, June, 1940. B. BULLETINS Byram, H. M. Survey of Out-of-School Young Men on Farms In Certain KIchigan—Uommunities. 'BuIIEtIn—NSQ—EVZ. '_- Iansing: Michigan State—Board of Control for Voca- tional Education, 1941. 47pp. Deyoe, G. P. Young Men from Eichigan Farms. Bulletin K0. . 256. Lansing: hicfiigan BIEIe board of Control for Vocational Education, 1959. 56 pp. Official Manual for Future Farmers 9f America. Baltimore: The French-Bray Printing Company,—Fbvem5er, 1943. 94 pp. 45 D. UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS Bartley, Hugh J. "A Follow-Up Study of Pupils Enrolled in Vocational Agriculture in the High School at Mason, Michigan." Master's thesis, Michigan State College, East Lansing, 1942. 65 pp. Earl C. "A Follow-Up Study of Youna Men in Michigan Who Received the State Farmer Degree Curing the Ten- Year Period 1950 to 1959." Master's thesis, flichigan State College, East Lansing, 1946. 42 pp. McKim The Michigan Future Farmer, Vol. XIII, No. 5, p. 5, May 15, _1944. State‘anrd of Control,for Vocational Education, Lansing, Michigan. ' E. MOLOGRAPES Weiler, Warren G. "A Studg of the Students of Vocational Agriculture Who‘Have een Awarded‘ffie‘Degree of State Farmer in Ohio, Department of Education, University of 5510, aEEtracE of Thesis, 1942, 6 pp. APPENDIX Appendix A OFFICIAL NAKVAL FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA ARTICLE IV. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP DEGREES AID PRIVILFGES SECTION E. State Farmer Degree. Minimum qualifications for election: 1. Must have held the Degree of Chapter Farmer for at least one year immediately preceding election to the Degree of State Farmer, have been an active member of the F.F.A. for at least two years, and have a record of satis- factory participation in the activities of the local chap- ter. 2. Must have satisfactorily completed at least two years of instruction in vocational agriculture, have in operation an outstanding program of supervised farming, and be regularly enrolled in a vocational agriculture class (or have completed all the vocational agriculture offered in the school attended). 5. Be familiar with the provisions of the constitu- tion of the State association and national organization. 4. Demonstrate proficiency in parliamentary proce- dure. 5. Be able to lead a group discussion for forty minutes and pass some occupational or F.F.A. test provided by the State executive committee. 6. Must have earned by his own efforts from farming or other agricultural work and deposited in a bank or other- wise productively invested at least $250 (at least two- thirds of the amount must be derived from his supervised farming program). 7. Show outstanding ability as evidenced by his leadership and cooperation in student, chapter, and com- munity activities, and have a satisfactory scholarship record as certified to by the local school superintendent or principal. 8. Must have participated in an outstanding way in 48 activities for community improvement and the development of agriculture. 9. Each State shall be entitled to elect ten quali- fied individuals annually, but where State membership ex- ceeds 500, not more than 2% of the total State membership shall be elected (fractions counted to the nearest whole number). Written records of achievement verified by the local adviser shall be submitted to the State adviser by the local executive committee at least one month prior to the State convention. The State adviser will then review the records, prepare briefs, and submit his recommendations to the State executive committee. This committee will nominate at the regular State convention the candidates who have been found most worthy to receive the honor. Briefs of the records shall be made available to the delegates when the candidates are nominated. The delegates shall then proceed to elect to the Third Degree the candidates found most worthy. 49 _ APPENDIX B Marlette, Michigan June 2, 1948 Dear Fellow Agriculture Teacher, You will remember that I made an appeal at Summer Con- ference for help from you in securing the addresses of some of your State Farmer boys. Several teachers indicated after- wards that my proposed study of State Farmers should bring to light valuable suggestions for the development and selec- tion of future State Farmers. This study, which I am using for my masters thesis, will be entitled: "A Follow-up of Young Men in Michigan Who Received the State Farmer Degree during the period 1940-47." I am enclosing a copy of the check-list I plan to send to these young men. If you have had more than one State Farmer, you will notice that I have asked for addresses for only a part of your group. This is because I am using only a sampling of the group. Will you please fill in the addresses of the following young men and return them to me in the enclosed envelope? Name Post office Route 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. .6. 7. 8. 9. lO. 11. Sincerely yours, T. R. Miller Instructor of Agriculture Marlette, Michigan 50 APPENDIX C Olivet, Michigan September 20, 1945 Dear Fellow Teachers of Agriculture: In June of this year, you probably received a letter from me asking for the addresses of some of the young men from your school who received the degree of State Farmer during the last nine years. So far, I have received answers from ninety-four of these schools, but there are still thirty schools on the missing list. These thirty schools have fifty-four boys whom we will need to include in this study to make it valid enough to summarize. I know that some of you men may not have received my first letter or may have mislaid it at the time. I feel sure that you do recognize the value of this study and I most certainly will appreciate your effort to return to me the addresses of your boys within a very few days. Thank you c Yours sincerely, Tex Miller Teacher of Vocational Agriculture APPEFDIX D 51 CHECK-LIST FOR STATE FARMERS Name ‘_Address Age State Farmer Degree received in (Year) School I. What is your present occupation: II. Fill in the following table to indicate your educa- tional progress: Did you attend or are Check Number What you attending Yes No Where? of course Years? of study A. College? E. Short Course atfi Mich. State College? C. Part-time or Young Farmer Class in Agriculture in your community? D. Adult Class in Agriculture in your community? E. Veterans Institute? III. Check the following of which you are a member: Church , Sunday School , Lodge , Grange , Junior Farm Bureau , Senior Farm Bureau , Farmer Co-operative , (Kind) flairy Herd Improvement Association , Crop—Im- provement Association , ArtificIaI Breeders Association , Others IV. Have you ever held offices in the above organizations? Yes , No . V. Offices held and organizations VI. Did you continue your F.F.A. membership after leav- ing school? Yes , No . If so, for how many years? VII. Please write in below your occupation (or occupations) for each of the years since you became a State Farmer: 1940 1944 1941 1945 1942 1946 1945 1947 52 VIII. This section is needed to show your status in farming FOR THE YEARS TFAT YOU: AVE BEEN FARIIIG. PLEASE CHECK ONE FOR EACH YEAR. 1 Farming Status: " 1940 1941 1942 1945 1944 1945 1946 1947 A. At home for spend- ingjmoney B. Wages at home C. Wages away from home D. Income from one or more enterprises E. Partnership at home F. Renter-operator G. Owner—operator H. Partnership away from home I. Manager for some- one else J. Others (Describe)— l. 2. IX. For the years you have been farming, check any of the following items which helped you become established. Check one column Much help Some help A. Family_help B. Inheritance C. F.F.A. crop projects D. F.F.A. livestock projects E. County Agent F. Teacher of Agriculture G. 4-H club work H. Agriculture classes I. Farm of sufficient size J. F.F.A. Chapter activities X. If you are NOT farming, check any of the reasons listed below which applies to your situation A. Lack of capital J. Farm run-down B. Lack of land K. No future in C. Lack of livestock L. Was drafted D. Lack of machinery M. Wife didn't like farm- E. Lack of buildings ing F. Low cash income N. I didn‘t like farming G. Days too long_ H. Couldn't get along with 0. Others (Please list) Dad 1. I. No progress 2. 55 APPENDIX E Marlette, Michigan Dear State Farmer, Do you know that in the last eight years 614 young men in Michigan became State Farmers? You are one of this group. Have you ever wondered what these State Farmers are doing now? Your former teacher of agriculture and all the other teachers of vocational agriculture are very much interested in knowing how you have solved that big problem of making a living. We would like to know, so that we can do a better job of teaching, what your big problems were as you became established in farming--or, what difficulties caused you to leave farming. Your answers will decide what problems need emphasis in developing future farmers. Information concerning your particular situation will be treated confidentially; only totals will be shown in the summaries. Will you please fill out the enclosed check-list (both sides) and return to me in the enclosed envelope? It will take you about seven minutes to do the whole job. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely, Texton R. Miller 54 APPENDIX F Olivet, Michigan September 20, 1948 Dear State Farmer: One hundred and forty of your fellow State Farmers have returned the check-lists sent to them during June and July. I have summarized the first 84 returns and I find that 58% of these State Farmers are farming full-time. or those that are not farming at all, 40% say that the lack of land caused them to seek other occupations. I don't know if these facts represent all the State Farmers because I have not heard from you. Agriculture teachers all over the State are eager to see the results of this study of State Farmers. They will use the results to do a better job of training Future Farmers. Perhaps you didn't get my first letter. Perhaps you just mislaid it. Will you please fill out the enclosed check-list to the best of your ability and return it by return mail? Thank you. Yours truly, T. R. Miller Teacher of Vocational Agriculture P.S. You can do it in 5 minutes. 55 APPEEEIX G Olivet, Michigan October 11, 1948 Dear State Farmer, It is not yet too late to send in your check-list --if you will mail it within the next few days. Two hundred and five young men have returned their answers. Your reply will help to make the results of this study more accurate. Future State Farmers will profit from your experience. | We need 1223 ideas. Will you please help us? Sincerely, T. R. Miller Teacher of agriculture llg26 '49 . lot:- 2 “9' 5 '49 luv '19 {42 Doc 3 4.9 r‘ '21 '13 ‘ L14 353 . 4a 1195““ .u, 21 '5‘ M“ 1° W 5 ’5‘ . 401.2 3““ “We“si O I I I ‘l I W" A? fl". +\ \‘ .. gx %. I? \ v" ’2' ‘5’" w ‘r. 6“ .‘(w . ”9 L \'| p". b *5 I" "1:" v r ‘i‘. .3. h I? .1 I ‘ IE" 1“.) fi', “I :3 5;.