1. What is your project?
I am proposing to create an anthology of the evolution of farming and FFA (Future Farmers of America) both in Montana and across the United States in the past 50 to 100 years.
2. What process will you use for primary research? (Who, where, what, etc.)
I want to interview my two of my old high school Agricultural Education teachers, my advisors, back in Missoula over Spring Break. I also would like to interview several professors here at MSU. Finally, I would like to interview several family members, including my paternal aunt, and all my remaining grandparents (one grandmas, three grandpas), since they all experienced farm life around the turn of the century. This correspondence will likely be over the phone, through email, or in person if a chance visit occurs.
3. What directions do you imagine your secondary research going?
I see the evolution of farming equipment paired with the industrial revolution being a huge part of my project, as well as more intense research about the history of FFA and of farming and the settlement of Montana.
4. Why is this an interesting subject for you?
I love the FFA and it has been huge part of my life for the past six years. I wasn't raised in a farming community, but I would really like to explore my own roots there, and if they are maybe "ancestral ties" as to why I so passionately wanted to become involved in FFA.
5. What questions do you have about the topic as you enter it? (These are important because they will help shape what you do at the beginning, but they will almost certainly change as you work on your project.)
I am curious if the fact that many of the products that we use and eat everyday truly influences the farming here in Montana, as well as the motives of many FFA contests and workshops. I already know that 90% of the beef produced in Montana (some of the best in the world) is sold overseas in China and Japan, and I am curious why the US settles for such poor beef. How does this affect the farmers here? Does this call for more efficient farming methods? Does this end up being cost effective? Just initial questions... :)
Tessa, this is a huge topic! But a good one with so many possibilities. When we talked in small groups, I was intrigued with the FFA possibility, and how it is a microcosm for farming in general. It reflects in small ways,(like the shift to a primarily female FFA population) the enormous changes in farming across America(the men are stressed with the work and too busy to attend meetings). I also like the idea of you interviewing family members. It’s always a great thing to record family history, before it’s too late. There’s no time like the present for that. Yes, farming equipment would have to be touched on, as it’s the reason farming practices changed so much. Farmers are able to accomplish so much more, but did they lose the sense of community they had when neighbors were so important? Barn-raisings and harvesting used to be a community events. Now people do it all on their own. Or is there anything neighbors still depend on each other for? Your challenge will be to make it narrow enough, and personal enough to be interesting, but still include some of the ‘causes’ for changes in farming. Where do you see farming headed in the future? The beef issue is a whole topic in itself. I’m sure you’ll find the thing you need to focus on. I look forward to reading what you write, and seeing how your research shapes your topic
ReplyDeleteYou have a pretty cool and interesting topic. I wasn't raised on a farm or anything like that so I wasn't involved in FFA at my high school. It seemed like it was an interesting group to be involved in, but for us, you had to have some form of farming background. Is it now for anybody who wants to be more involved in agricultural topics? I know that with 4H, it's now open to anyone who wants to learn about animals and such (my 7 year old daughter wants to join). I have read alot of stuff about how the ranchers here ship meat out and yet boast how we should be thankful for meat on our tables. American farming seems to have been shifted to quick, science induced, high yield crops that often times have all kinds of chemicals in them. For me, not ever being in FFA, it would be interesting to see if farming could ever go back to being more 'old school' non-chemical based.
ReplyDeleteTo be perfectly honest, I find the subject of the FFA to be inherently boring, but I do so love being proven wrong. You can't satisfy everyone. I think you could keep it more lively by sticking close to any personal aspects which might exist, making it clearly relevant to me as a consumer, and/or focusing on the changes that have occurred. I know almost nothing about the FFA and I'm okay with that. So I think a strong start to your paper should make me regret the satisfaction of my ignorance. Good luck.
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