Identifier

UA 53.13

Dates

1956-1970

Extent

8.0 linear feet (8 records center boxes) photographs

Abstract

Sherwood Berg was president of SDSU from 1975-1984. This collection consists of material related to the National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber established by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 4, 1965 on which Sherwood O. Berg served as chairperson.

Historical Note

Sherwood O. Berg was raised on a farm near Hendrum, Minnesota. All of his public schooling was taken at Hendrum where he participated in 4-H Club work for at least 10 years, earning honors in this area. His father died while he was a senior in high school and for a time, Berg took over the management of the home farm.

He attended the School of Agriculture on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota for two years. He entered South Dakota State College [SDSC] the fall of 1940. He choose to come to SDSC because of their agricultural program, the opportunity to place on the basketball team and to work so that he might contribute to paying his college expenses. In 1943, he entered military service where he remained until 1946. While Berg was in military service, he obtained U.S. Army, field infantry experience. During his last year of military service, he was Military Government Food and Agricultural Officer.

In 1946, Berg returned to South Dakota State. In 1947, he was granted the BS degree. In 1948, he was awarded an MS degree from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. In 1951, the University of Minnesota conferred the PhD degree on him. Following the completion of his work for the PhD, he was agricultural attaché to Yugoslavia from 1951 to 1954 and to Norway and Denmark from 1954 to 1957.

In July 1957, Berg accepted the position of Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Minnesota. He held this position until June 1963. In July 1963, he accepted the position of Dean of the Institute of Agriculture, and Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota. During his tenure as Dean of the Institute of Agriculture, he served as chair of the President's National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber.

From 1973 to 1975, Berg was Director, The Indonesia Project of Midwest Universities Consortium. After his work in Indonesia he returned to the United States and to his Alma Mater, beginning his duties as President of South Dakota State University August 1, 1975. A position he held until 1984.

In 1952, Sherwood O. Berg married Elizabeth Ann Hall. They have two children, Mary Elizabeth and Bradley Joseph.

National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber

President Lyndon B. Johnson established the National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber on November 4, 1965 on which Sherwood O. Berg served as chairperson. President Johnson instructed the Commission to make an appraisal of agricultural and foreign trade policies; to conduct a study of the effects of agricultural policies on the performance of the economy and foreign relations; and to prepare a report, which would serve as a guide for future decisions and policies

The work of the Commission was initially divided into six major areas: 1. Production and consumption trends and potentials in the world, 2. Policies for commercial agriculture, 3. Policies for the non-commercial sector of agriculture, 4. Policies for forestry and natural resources development, 5. Agricultural trade and foreign economic policies; and 6. The role of agriculture in world economic development. Five commissioners with staff and consultants were assigned to each area.

The full time staff was small and included professional economists on leave from universities, from the federal government and from business. They were augmented by a group of consultants and experts from both the public and private sector. The Commissions research and study took many forms. Surveys were conducted; existing information was analyzed; position papers were prepared. The Commission was briefed by leading authorities and experts, and public hearings were held throughout the country.

The full Commission met 13 times over a period of 18 months for two or three days each time. At these meetings, the Commissioners heard testimony from leading authorities and experts and engaged in group discussions. The staff and consultants who later proposed recommendations prepared analyses and materials focusing on specific issues.

The Commission was made up of 31 members who represented agriculture, economics and labor throughout the United States. The chairperson was Sherwood O. Berg, who was Dean of the Institute of Agriculture at the University of Minnesota at the time.

Content Notes

This collection is composed of material related to the National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber established by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 4, 1965 on which Sherwood O. Berg served as chairperson.

The collected material is composed mainly of information collected for use by the Commission in conducting its studies. This material covers a range of topics from cotton and hunger to agriculture and government policies.

Series 1. National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber

Sub-series 1. Collected material. The collected material is composed mainly of information collected for use by the Commission in conducting its studies. This material covers a range of topics from cotton and hunger to agriculture and government policies.

Sub-series 2. Correspondence. The correspondence is composed of communications in the form of memorandums and letters between commission members. Also included are congratulatory letters and reactions to the final report.

Sub-series 3. General Commission records. The general commission records are composed of Commission budget information, clippings, member lists and biographies, daily activities reports, press releases and study group material.

Sub-series 4. Hearing records. The hearings material consists of correspondence statements, transcripts and some chairman's notes for hearing conducted by the Commission throughout the United States. This material is arranged alphabetically by location of the hearing.

Sub-series 5. Meeting records. The meetings material consists of agendas, correspondence and items discussed at the many meetings held by the Commission. This material is arranged alphabetically by location of the meeting.

Sub-series 6. Publications. The publications consists mainly of drafts of the final report to the President of the United States, but also includes background papers, briefing statements, brochures and technical papers produced by the Commission. The report drafts are arranged by chapter with each folder including notes, additions and corrections to the report. The remaining folders are filed alphabetically.

SDSU Archives and Special Collections

Follow this link for more information:

https://www.sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/university-archives

Language

English

Publisher

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Rights

Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

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