Identifier
MA 12
Dates
1911-2009
Extent
G:\!Collections\Cleaned up FInding Aids 2025-01\MA12_SD-Farmers-Union\Finding aid
Abstract
The South Dakota Farmers Union Records document the organization’s history, advocacy, and contributions to agricultural policy and rural development from the early 20th century to the early 2000s. The collection includes organizational records, correspondence, meeting minutes, financial statements, legal documents, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and publications. These materials highlight the Union’s role in supporting family farmers, promoting cooperative enterprises, and shaping legislative initiatives at both the state and national levels. Significant topics include agricultural legislation, cooperative movements, rural electrification, political campaigns, and economic policies affecting South Dakota farmers.
The collection’s audiovisual materials include recorded speeches, radio programs, interviews, and films featuring key figures such as Ben Radcliffe, George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The Cooperative Legacy Project provides an oral history of the cooperative movement through over 110 hours of interviews with Farmers Union leaders and grassroots activists. Additionally, local union records, educational initiatives, and extensive photographic documentation capture the Union’s grassroots organizing and impact on rural communities. The South Dakota Farmers Union Records serve as a valuable resource for researchers studying agricultural policy, rural advocacy, and cooperative enterprises in South Dakota.
Historical Note
Journalist Isaac Newton Gresham founded the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union in Point, Texas, in 1902 to protect and promote the interests of family farmers. The organization expanded nationally in 1905.
The Farmer’s Union was introduced to South Dakota around 1914 by former members of the Nebraska Farmers Union who had relocated to the state. Early organizational efforts in South Dakota were driven by Farmers Union officials from Nebraska.
On March 16, 1917, the South Dakota Farmers Union was officially established as a state unit during its first state convention in Mitchell. The convention brought together 268 delegates representing 14 counties, reflecting the organization's growing presence. By this time, 134 local chapters had been formed across the state.
Education has been a cornerstone of the South Dakota Farmers Union, pioneering programs that were later adopted by other state units. In its early years, the Union played a crucial role in collective purchasing, helping farmers acquire essential supplies such as flour, coal, and twine.
Content Notes
The South Dakota Farmers Union Records provide a comprehensive account of the organization’s history, advocacy, and role in shaping agricultural policy from the early 20th century to the early 2000s. The collection documents the Union’s efforts to support family farmers, promote cooperative enterprises, and influence state and national agricultural legislation. Materials include organizational records, correspondence, meeting minutes, financial statements, educational materials, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and publications.
A significant portion of the collection pertains to the Union’s legislative and political engagement, featuring records from state and national conventions, speeches, campaign materials, and lobbying efforts. These materials illustrate the Union’s role in advocating agricultural policy reforms, rural economic development, and cooperative business models. Key figures such as Ben Radcliffe, George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey, and Eleanor Roosevelt are represented in convention proceedings, recorded speeches, and radio broadcasts. The 1972 Supreme Court case on public school funding through property tax is also documented through clippings, correspondence, and legal evidence.
The audiovisual materials consist of 13 audiocassettes, 156 open reel tapes, 6 wire recordings, and 34 16mm motion picture films, spanning from 1948 to 1992. These recordings capture state and national conventions, radio programs, speeches, and advertisements, along with footage of state camp activities, tours, picnics, and parades. Many of the materials promote legislative initiatives and endorse political candidates. In 2018, the South Dakota Farmers Union audiovisual collection was digitized with the support of a Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources. Due to the fragile state of many recordings, the Archives partnered with George Blood L.P. to ensure high-quality digital preservation in sustainable formats.
The Cooperative Legacy Project, spearheaded by Chuck Groth, communications director for the South Dakota Farmers Union from 1972 to 2008, provides an in-depth oral history of the cooperative movement in South Dakota. This project includes over 110 hours of digital audio interviews with Farmers Union members, cooperative managers, and farm organization leaders. The interviews, recorded in MP3 and WAV formats, are supplemented by documents, scanned photographs, and rough transcriptions, offering insight into the history and impact of the cooperative movement.
The collection also includes publications from the National Farmers Union and various state organizations, as well as South Dakota Farmers Union-produced materials such as convention programs (1938-1983), policy statements (1954-1988), handbooks, and brochures. The photographic collection, comprising over 33,000 photographs and negatives, documents youth programs, conventions, picnics, tours, and key moments in the organization’s history, as well as images published in the South Dakota Union Farmer.
Records from local unions throughout South Dakota provide insight into grassroots organizing efforts, consisting of charter records, attendance logs, minutes, and correspondence, with some materials accompanied by photographs. The General series includes essential governance documents such as constitutions, by-laws, speeches, scrapbooks, and advertising materials, with Farmers Union annual convention minutes spanning from 1926 to 1946.
This collection serves as an invaluable resource for scholars, policymakers, and researchers studying agricultural policy, rural advocacy, cooperative movements, and the political and economic history of farming in South Dakota and the United States. Through its extensive documentation of legislative efforts, community programs, and cooperative business models, the South Dakota Farmers Union Records provide a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of American agriculture.
SDSU Archives and Special Collections
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Language
English
Publisher
South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.
Rights
In Copyright: This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copy-right Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, publicity, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permis-sions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
Recommended Citation
SDSU Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, "South Dakota Farmers Union Records" (2025). Archives Finding Aids. 12.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/archives_finding_aids/12
