The Hard Choice: Keeping the Farm During the Lean Years
Dean Edward C. Johnson of the State College of Washington weighs in on whether young men should abandon agriculture during an era of historic economic struggle for farmers.
Edward C. Johnson, Dean of Agriculture at the State College of Washington, recounts a conversation with a student who wanted to quit agricultural studies because there was 'no money' in farming. Johnson analyzed the situation with the student, acknowledging that for two years, farming returns were at the bottom of the curve, exacerbated by low purchasing power—roughly 64 percent of 1913 levels. However, he argued that agriculture is essential to the country's endurance and that conditions must improve. The student eventually decided to stay in the program, concluding that all professions have their ups and downs and he should choose what he loves. Johnson uses this as a springboard to discuss the struggles of Washington farmers, who are diversifying into clover, dairy, and poultry to survive, noting that while the times are difficult, the turn of the road is near for those who can endure.
“Some, unfortunately, cannot hang on until matters right themselves, but for the usual young man who is not afraid of work and who is willing and able to wait, not a month or a year but wait with faith... it is a good time now to go into agriculture.”
This 1922 perspective on agricultural crisis pre-dates the Great Depression but echoes the perennial struggle of Washington's farmers against global commodity markets. Today, the tension between industrial consolidation and the 'hang on' mentality of independent producers remains a central, unresolved chapter in the state's rural economy.
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