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National Agricultural Library
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Special Collections at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library houses manuscripts and archival records documenting the history of agriculture and the USDA from the 19th through the 21st centuries. These collections include correspondence, field notes, journals, photographs, publications, posters, and other items of individuals who worked for or were associated with the USDA, individuals involved in non-USDA agricultural activities, and organizations related to agriculture. For more information or to schedule a visit, please contact Special Collections.

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Displaying 301 - 325 of 469 Collections

USDA Textile Publications

The USDA Textile Publications Collection consists of brochures, reprints, leaflets, bulletins, and newspaper clippings related to clothing, textile history, fashion, fabrics, construction, consumer advice, and sewing machines.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
During the 1920s and 1930s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Division of Textiles and Clothing of the Bureau of Home Economics was responsible for research on textiles and clothing. In 1937 this division was renamed the Textiles and Clothing Division. The reorganization of the USDA in 1942 placed research on textiles and clothing under the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics, Agricultural Research Administration. When the USDA reorganized in 1953, the research remained under the same bureau (re-designated as a division) under the new Agricultural Research Service (ARS). In 1957, the research was moved to the Clothing and Housing Research Division, Institute of Home Economics, ARS. Since the mid-1960s, research on textiles and clothing has taken place in ARS regional laboratories.
Collection Number: 308
Earliest Date: 1920
Latest Date: 1962
Linear Feet: 0.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Plant Exploration; USDA History
Formats: Reprints
Digitization Status: None

USDA Bureau of Entomology Album

The USDA Bureau of Entomology Album consists of black and white photographs, most of which are not labeled, and clippings. There is one U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Information publication dated 1958. The black and white photographs are primarily of individuals. The date range is 1925-1961 (bulk 1936-1944). Within the album, a few are labeled: R. H. Nelson, 3-1-55; Jessie Mingle, June 1953; P. G. Piguet (sp?), Feb. 1947. At the back of the album are three 8x10 group photographs of the American Association of Economic Entomologists at Washington, D. C., dated January 2, 1925. In the file folders, subjects include the tornado at Beltsville, undated; the fire at Beltsville, 1941; and photographs of Eleanor Roosevelt, dated 1939. The date range of the clippings is 1937-1966 (bulk 1940-1953). Some subjects include: bees; William Robinson, 1941; G. Harris White, 1947; obituaries of Claribel Barnett [1950?], Percy Annand, 1950, Lee A. Strong, 1941, and Norman McIndoo, 1956; fire at Beltsville, 1941; Duke of Windsor visits CCC camps, 1941; National Youth Administration, 1940; insecticides, including DDT; Beltsville forest fire, 1950; and visits of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953, and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, 1959.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The Division of Entomology was formed in 1863. Early heads of this division included Townend Glover and Charles Valentine Riley. Early research included the development of insect control and eradication practices, as well as the identification of insects and their life cycles. In 1904 the Division of Entomology reached bureau status, and research greatly expanded to include many more laboratories around the country and the creation of new inspection procedures to prevent insect pest infestation. In 1934 the Bureau of Entomology merged with the Bureau of Plant Quarantine to form the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine. This new bureau was able to more efficiently cover more research topics.
Collection Number: 309
Earliest Date: 1925
Latest Date: 1966
Bulk Dates: 1936-53
Linear Feet: 1.6
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Entomology; USDA History
Formats: Photographs
Digitization Status: Portion of collection digitized

Severn Run's Cazador (Caz), Screwworm Detection Dog, Collection: Screwworm Eradication Program Records

The Severn Run's Cazador (Caz), Screwworm Detection Dog: Screwworm Eradication Program Records includes photographs, correspondence, Caz's working gear, a short biography by John Welch, and a wooden box containing Caz's remains.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The materials relate to Severn Run's Cazador (Caz), the screwworm detection dog. Cazador was an American Kennel Club-registered German wire-haired pointer who served as a detector dog with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service Screwworm Research Unit from 1988 until Caz's death in 2000. USDA scientist John B. Welch was Cazador's trainer and acquired him through the U.S. Customs Service’s Detector Dog training facility in Front Royal, Virginia.
Collection Number: 310
Collection Group: Screwworm Eradication Program Records
Earliest Date: 1994
Latest Date: 2000
Bulk Dates: 2000
Linear Feet: 1
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Entomology; USDA History
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia; Photographs
Digitization Status: None

Voices of American Homemakers Collection

The Voices of American Homemakers Collection consists of a set of 171 audiocassette tapes of the interviews plus five large binders of typed transcripts of the interviews. Also included is the monograph that resulted from the project, Voices of American Homemakers, published in 1985. This publication contains photographs and abstracts of selected oral histories from the project.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Voices of American Homemakers was a massive oral history project undertaken by the National Extension Homemakers Council and its director, Eleanor Arnold, in the early 1980s. One of the primary objectives of this project was to understand and document the richness and worth of homemakers’ lives and how these lives have affected the fabric of American life. Working in 37 states, dozens of volunteer interviewers collected and processed oral histories from more than 200 homemakers.
Collection Number: 311
Earliest Date: 1980
Latest Date: 1985
Linear Feet: 3.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Human Nutrition
Formats: Audiovisuals
Digitization Status: None

Radio Home Features Typescripts

The Radio Home Features Typescripts were produced by USDA Office of Information, Radio and Television Service, Washington, D.C. Dates of typescripts are 1964-1967, 1969, and 1970-1988.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Communications produces a series of radio news feature reports through its Broadcast Media and Technology Center. These news features cover a wide variety of topics in agriculture and home economics, and are intended for the general public as a listening audience. Such topics include food safety, environmental issues, weather, crop projections and reports, and health issues. Each week, the Office of Communications sends out audio recordings of these stories to media outlets all around the United States, who then broadcast the material.
Collection Number: 312
Earliest Date: 1964
Latest Date: 1988
Linear Feet: 5.75
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; USDA History
Digitization Status: None

Celebrity Pesticide Spots Phonograph Records

The Celebrity Pesticide Spots Phonograph Records consist of four 33 1/3 RPM records containing spots about the safe use of pesticides produced by USDA Office of Information, Radio and Television Service, Washington, D.C. Three of the records are identical; there are a total of two unique records. Celebrity voices include Minnie Pearl, Art Carney, Arthur Godfrey, and Eva Gabor. Additionally, there is a typescript of the spots with a generic letter about the typescript signed by Layne Beaty, Chief of Radio and Television Service. The letter appears to have been sent out to public service directors.
Collection Number: 313
Earliest Date: 1970
Linear Feet: 1.75
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Entomology; USDA History
Formats: Audiovisuals

Manihot Bibliography

The Manihot Bibliography contains original bibliographic records and master computer list of bibliographic entries from 1970 for the genus Manihot. The name Dr. David J. Rogers, Taximetrics Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80302 appears on a letter and the address is stamped on the computer printout. The bibliography may not have been published. In the General Collection at call no. QK474.5.A1F5 , there is a series called Flora Netotropica and Monograph 13 of that series contains the following publication: David J. Rogers, David J. and S.G. Appan. Manihot and Manihotoides (Euphorbiaceae); A Computer Assisted Study, 1973. (The monograph on its own at call no. QK474.5.A1 is listed as being at the National Arboretum.) The object of study is Manihot esulenta Crantz. This crop, which lives in tropic areas, is grown primarily for its roots.
Collection Number: 314
Earliest Date: 1970
Linear Feet: 1.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Plant Science
Digitization Status: None

National Association of Extension Home Economists Collection

The National Association of Extension Home Economists Collection consists of 3 sets of bound volumes, totaling 13 in all. Volumes 1-9 (1943-1984) are titled Minutes of Meetings. Volumes 1-2 (1943-1984) are titled Reporter and subtitled News from National, the Letter, the News Letter, the HDA Reporter, and the EHE Reporter. Volumes 1-2 (1946-1984) are titled Annual Meeting Programs.
Collection Number: 315
Earliest Date: 1943
Latest Date: 1984
Linear Feet: 3.25
Processed: Yes, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Agricultural Organizations; Human Nutrition
Digitization Status: None

Appalachian Oral History Project Collection

The Appalachian Oral History Project Collection consists of five document boxes with file folders of transcribed oral history interviews plus the Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog, which is in reality a box list for the file folders.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Begun in 1970 as a cooperative effort by Alice Lloyd College and Lee Junior College in eastern Kentucky, the Appalachian Oral History Project was expanded to include Emory & Henry College in Virginia and Appalachian State University in North Carolina. The primary purpose was to collect tape recorded interviews of the history and folklore of the Central Appalachian region. In 1977, with the goal of making the material more accessible to researchers, the Project published the Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog, which is based on annotations from selected transcribed tapes.
Collection Number: 316
Earliest Date: 1970
Latest Date: 1977
Linear Feet: 2.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Human Nutrition
Formats: Audiovisuals
Digitization Status: None

Calvert County, Maryland, Oral History Transcripts

The Calvert County, Maryland, Oral History Transcripts consist of four oral history interviews. Interviewees include Gorman Buckler, Y.D. Hance, Michael Phipps, and J.W. Waters-Ross.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum and the National Agricultural Library conducted a series of interviews with farmers, farm families, agricultural workers, scientists, and others in Calvert County, Maryland, who made significant contributions to American agriculture.
Collection Number: 317
Earliest Date: 1990
Latest Date: 1991
Linear Feet: 1
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Farms and Farming Systems
Formats: Audiovisuals
Digitization Status: None

Nutrition Publications from Sandy Facinoli

Publications related to nutrition survey results and the history of nutrition as well as various bulletins, reports, and reprints relating to nutrition. There is biographical information on Louise Stanley, Hazel Stiebeling, and Wilbur O. Atwater.
Collection Number: 318
Earliest Date: 1922
Latest Date: 1989
Linear Feet: 1.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Human Nutrition
Digitization Status: None

Layne R. Beaty Oral History Audiotape

The Layne R. Beaty Oral History Audiotape contains an interview of Beaty by Roy Battles on August 12, 1985. Collection consists of two tapes with call numbers: Audiocassette no. 81 pt. 1 and Audiocassette no. 81 pt. 2. The two tapes have been digitized and the collection contains a DVD copy of the originals.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Layne R. Beaty (1914? - 2007) was chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Radio and Television Service from 1954-1980. He graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1935. Between 1943 and 1951, he worked as farm editor of radio station WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1947, he served as president of the National Association of Radio Farm Directors (NARFD).
Collection Number: 320
Earliest Date: 1985
Latest Date: 1985
Linear Feet: 1.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Text Available in NALDR: http://media.archimedes.nal.usda.gov/speccol/LayneBeatyOralHistory.wma
Subjects: Agricultural History
Formats: Audiovisuals
Digitization Status: Entire collection digitized

Report on Trials of Plows

"Report on Trials of Plows" by Anonymous, Manuscript. Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society. 1867. Part I. Volume XXVII. Illustrated. The book is composed of illustrations which appear to be original art with hand lettering on captions. It appears to have been self-published. The illustrations were inserted in handmade pages which were hole-punched. A cord was inserted through the pages and the front and back covers of the book, which have artistic designs on them. The book measures 9"x6"x4".
Collection Number: 321
Earliest Date: 1867
Latest Date: 1867
Bulk Dates: 1867
Linear Feet: 1.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Farms and Farming Systems
Digitization Status: None

Arthur J. Olmsted Collection of USDA Photographs

The Arthur J. Olmsted Collection consists of black and white photographs of the first U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administration building; other USDA buildings in Washington, D.C., that no longer exist; greenhouses on the National Mall; storm damage to buildings; a motion picture lab; Division of Illustration offices; a group photograph of "Agriculture Lab" photographers; C.A. Holder, foreign trade advisor; a corn club visitng Washington, D.C.; and USDA Assistant Secretary Carl S. Vrooman. Photographs are undated but appear to range in date from the 1880s-1930s.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
From the caption on one of the photographs, it appears likely that Olmsted was at a one time the chief photographer for the "Agriculture Lab."
Collection Number: 323
Earliest Date: 1880
Latest Date: 1930
Linear Feet: 0.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; USDA History
Formats: Photographs
Digitization Status: Portion of collection digitized

Joel Solkoff Papers

The Joel Solkoff Papers consist of Solkoff's agricultural writings, which appeared in such publications as The New Republic, Congressional Record, Skeptic, The New York Times, Newsday, and The Washington Star. Also included are Solkoff’s book The Politics of Food, and several reviews of the book; several issues of MLAP Monthly Report, a publication for which Solkoff served as editor; a collection of unpublished manuscripts; and Solkoff’s resume (2004).
Collection Number: 324
Earliest Date: 1974
Latest Date: 2004
Linear Feet: 0.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Human Nutrition
Digitization Status: None

USDA Forage Crop Investigations Records

The USDA Forage Crop Investigations Records consist of field notes written by William J. Morse from 1909-1930 while he was working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forage Crop Investigations. These 55 hand-written ledgers document Morse’s discoveries of foreign plants throughout his international travels. Almost half of the field notes relate to the Dorsett-Morse Oriental Agricultural Exploration Expedition from 1929-1931. See Collection 325 for journals and photograph albums related to the expedition.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
William J. Morse (1884-1959) was a soybean specialist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Forage Crops. He was a junior team member on the Dorsett-Morse Oriental Agricultural Exploration Expedition and was charged with the collection of soybean materials. The Division of Forage Crops and Diseases operated under the Bureau of Plant Industry of the USDA. Its main purpose was to research crops that are grown specifically for livestock consumption. It started in the 1900s as the Office of Forage-crop Investigations, and was re-designated the Office of Forage Crops in 1926. In 1929 the office took on research related to forage disease from the Office of Vegetable and Forage Crops, and became the Office (Division in 1931) of Forage Crops and Diseases. This division became a divisional component of the Field Crops Division of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Research in 1946. After the USDA reorganization of 1953, the Division became the Forage and Range Section of the Field Crops Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service.
Collection Number: 325
Collection Group: Plant Exploration Collections
Earliest Date: 1909
Latest Date: 1930
Bulk Dates: 1929-1931
Linear Feet: 4.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Plant Exploration; Plant Science
Formats: Photographs
Digitization Status: None

Norman Mitlin Papers

The Norman Mitlin Papers consist of 29 boll weevil articles (1964-1977) authored by Mitlin, 30 of Mitlin’s handwritten laboratory notebooks (1953-1975) from the Boll Weevil Research Laboratory, drafts, correspondence, and photographs. Most of the articles deal with the development of sterilization methods. There is correspondence between Mitlin and Mississippi State University, where he taught graduate school classes, and documentation related to his training.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
In 1949 Norman Mitlin (1918-2003) began his career as a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Beltsville, Maryland. He specialized in the development of new synthetic insecticides and later in the toxicology and physiology of insects. He was a pioneer in developing methods of using chemicals to sexually sterilize insects. In 1961 he was transferred to the newly activated USDA Boll Weevil Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University, Starkville. He headed a unit that was responsible for developing methods of sterilizing the boll weevil. His methods were incorporated into a program that effectively eliminated the boll weevil as a major pest. While working at the Boll Weevil Laboratory, Mitlin served as an adjunct professor at Mississippi State University in the entomology department. Mitlin retired in 1978 from the USDA.
Collection Number: 326
Earliest Date: 1950
Latest Date: 1979
Linear Feet: 6.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Entomology; USDA History
Digitization Status: None

Dale Marshall Papers

The Dale Marshall Papers consist of a pre-publication draft of Marshall's horticultural bibliographies and copies of the articles listed in the bibliographies.
Collection Number: 327
Linear Feet: 22.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Plant Science
Digitization Status: None

William McLeod Rivera Papers

The William McLeod Rivera papers consist of journals, papers both written and collected by Rivera, conference publications, correspondence, and information on courses taught by Rivera.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
William McLeod Rivera is an associate professor in the College of Agricultural and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland. His subject area of expertise is agriculture extension education. Throughout his career he has worked all around the world in consultancy capacities on projects and programs related to adult and agricultural extension education. These projects have ranged from formulating curricula for educational institutions to developing extension programs for rural farmers. He has worked under such organizations as the United Nations, World Education, Inc., the World Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Rivera is also a well-accomplished author, having had two books published, edited several other books, and written many articles in several adult and agricultural extension education books and journals.
Collection Number: 328
Earliest Date: 1962
Latest Date: 1992
Bulk Dates: 1986-1992
Linear Feet: 2.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Natural Resources; Physical Sciences
Digitization Status: None

Soil Conservation Service Film Collection

The Soil Conservation Service Film Collection contains films produced by and for the Soil Conservation Service. These films were used for education, training, and public service announcements.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
In 1935 Congress passed an act that directed the Secretary of Agriculture to create an agency to deal with issues surrounding soil quality and erosion. This new agency would be called the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and was actually the successor to the Soil Erosion Service (which itself was only two years old) of the Department of the Interior. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had been examining soil erosion for years. However, a new program, developed by Hugh Hammond Bennett (the first Chief of the SCS), coordinated much knowledge and practices related to soil. Bennett first began to promote the fight against soil erosion in a published bulletin in 1928. The actions taken by the SCS to maintain and improve soil conditions were driven largely by private landowners, who were organized into local districts. Furthermore, the SCS was given the recommendation to coordinate its actions with other agencies doing similar work. Both of these methods allowed for the most concentrated effort possible to conserve the nation’s soil. After the USDA reorganization of 1994, the SCS was replaced by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Collection Number: 329
Earliest Date: 1953
Latest Date: 1977
Linear Feet: 4.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Farms and Farming Systems; Natural Resources; Physical Sciences
Formats: Audiovisuals

Strawberry Images Collection

The Strawberry Images Collection contains black and white negatives, prints, and glass plates of strawberry plants and activities related to strawberry cultivation.
Collection Number: 330
Collection Group: Plant Photograph Collections
Earliest Date: 1887
Latest Date: 1953
Linear Feet: 1.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Plant Science
Formats: Photographs
Digitization Status: None

USDA Bureau of Biological Survey Records (Duckstamps)

The USDA Bureau of Biological Survey Records consist of memoranda and transcripts related to hunting regulations; water and forest conservation; wildlife control, management, research, and development; migratory habits of birds and other animals; control of rodent pests; and bureau management.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Biological Survey began as the Office of Economic Ornithology in 1885, under the Division of Entomology. Its main task at the time was to study how birds affected farm production. In its first decade, this unit would evolve into the Division of Biological Survey, and its duties were expanded to include the distribution of birds and other animals in the wild, as well as to track the food and migratory habits of the animals. In addition, the research done by this division was used to maintain the delicate balance between controlling dangerous species and protecting endangered species. The division reached bureau status in 1905. Research was then expanded to include the economic connections between conserving wildlife and controlling species that were a danger to agriculture. The bureau also had the responsibilities of enforcing wildlife laws and managing wildlife refuges. In 1939 the bureau was transferred to the Department of the Interior (DOI). In 1940 it merged with the Bureau of Fisheries (also transferred to the DOI in 1939) to become the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Collection Number: 331
Earliest Date: 1918
Latest Date: 1939
Bulk Dates: 1934-1939
Linear Feet: 4
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Natural Resources; Physical Sciences; USDA History
Digitization Status: None

Joseph Swab Publication Collection

The Joseph Swab Publication collection contains bibliographies, pamphlets, newsletters, and forms whose layouts were designed by Swab, primarily from 1970-1998. The collection also contains a select number of older materials not designed by Swab.
Collection Number: 332
Earliest Date: 1950
Latest Date: 1998
Bulk Dates: 1987-1998
Linear Feet: 12.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: USDA History
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia
Digitization Status: None

United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service 50th Anniversary, 1953-2004

The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service 50th Anniversary Time Capsule materials in this collection were donated from ARS offices across the nation and Puerto Rico. The materials capture the work, progress, and inventions of ARS over the last 50 years. The donations were various. Types of items included in the capsule are posters, photographs, ephemera, awards, computer software, brochures, stuffed animals, training items, paperweights, miniatures of inventions, buttons, audio tapes, key chains, articles, bookmarks, pens, clothing, and food replicas. In January 2005, a DVD and VHS copy of the Time Capsule program were added to the collection. There is no sound on any of the recordings.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
As ARS closed out their 50th anniversary year on November 2, 2004 they sealed the time capsule that ARS employees helped to build. Each office, unit, or location was encouraged to send in an item that defined what they contributed to the overall ARS mission. ARS employees were encouraged to donate materials of significant accomplishment and something that characterized their place in history. All items were to be sent to Susan Fugate, Head, Special Collections, National Agricultural Library. The Special Collections staff entered items into a database and housed the materials in acid-free boxes. The donation period was actually extended until December 31, 2004.
Collection Number: 333
Earliest Date: 1947
Latest Date: 2004
Bulk Dates: 2000- 2004
Linear Feet: 4.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural History; USDA History
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia; Audiovisuals; Photographs; Posters

USDA Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics Records

The USDA Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics Records contain a history of the bureau; organizational charts; photographs of employees, nutrition experiments, equipment, exhibits, and food; a scrapbook of the 25th anniversary of the bureau (1923-1948); publicity information including posters, and lab notebooks. There is also a reprint collection of 24,000 publications and a card index.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
In 1915, the Office of Home Economics was established within the States Relations Service and in 1922, Secretary Henry A. Wallace announced his plans to expand the scope of the office and to establish a bureau under the leadership of a woman. In 1923, the Bureau of Home Economics was established with Louise Stanley as its chief. During the Great Depression, Stanley initiated studies of American diets and had researchers focus on areas of the nation which were most affected by drought and high unemployment. The study results provided basis for determining food products needed for an adequate diet and for planning relief programs using nutritious surplus products. During the period between the two World Wars, USDA concentrated its research in three primary avenues: improving the quantity and quality of agricultural production, finding new uses for agricultural products, and improving and conserving soil. For the National Nutrition Conference held in 1941, the Bureau of Home Economics supplied data showing that an appalling number of families in the US had been living on inadequate diets. Following the recommendations of the conference, USDA launched a national campaign to improve American diets. In this campaign, the nutritive values of food established by the Bureau of Home Economics became an important consideration in the development of goals for agricultural production during the war years.
Collection Number: 334
Earliest Date: 1921
Latest Date: 1972
Bulk Dates: 1950-1970
Linear Feet: 178
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Human Nutrition; USDA History
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia; Photographs; Posters; Reprints
Digitization Status: None