1940s: A Humble Beginning

The 1940s: A Humble Beginning

The magnificent organization one sees today working on behalf of agriculture had humble beginnings.

The Great Depression of the 1930s left many Florida farmers heavily mortgaged and in debt. Citrus growers, especially, were caught in a vice between low prices - grapefruit was bringing five cents a box on-tree in the late 1930s - and handlers and shippers, who often controlled harvesting.

Seeking a means of combatting the shippers' groups, several influential central Florida citrus growers formed the Florida Citrus Growers, Inc. (FCG) Citrus grower George Fullerton headed up the new organization. The founders included: Henry Pringle of Leesburg, J. J. Banks of Winter Park, W. L. Burton of Windemere, Frank Laird of Lake County and Lacy Thomas of Clermont.

By 1941 Florida Citrus Growers was unable to do anything about the sorry state of Florida citrus production. The group contacted American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in Chicago and AFBF sent a representative to the next FCG directors meeting.

A general farmers meeting was called in Orlando, attended by "Cap'n Ed" O'Neal, president of AFBF, and it was decided that FCG would be laid to rest and resurrected as the heart of a new Farm Bureau organization affiliated with AFBF.

The charter outlined the goals of the Federation:

• Give Florida farmers a special identity.
• Study and promote better cultural and research practices, product quality improvement, improved marketing methods and market stabilization.
• Represent farmers in the Legislature.
• Compile and disseminate agricultural and market data to farmers.
• Organize county Farm Bureau units.

The first five years

On Nov. 15, 1941, the first FFBF convention was held, and the charter was read and approved. About 100 farmers attended and elected George L. Fullerton as FFBF's first president. A goal of signing 500 members was set, the minimum required before FFBF could be accorded standing within AFBF. Charles Sanford of Sarasota County was the first to sign up and by day's end, nearly 200 other individuals had joined.

On March 13, 1942 the first county Farm Bureau was formed in Dade County. A month later, county Farm Bureaus were also being formed in Volusia, Hillsborough, St. Lucie, Lee, Manatee-Sarasota, Indian River and Polk counties.

By the time Florida Farm Bureau celebrated its first birthday in Miami, membership had reached 1,180 and 17 county Farm Bureaus had been established.

Women get involved

The Social and Education Committee was formed in 1945 with Mrs. George W. Munroe of Quincy as chairman. It later became the Farm Bureau Women's Committee.

The women began to undertake projects involving improvements in education, establishment of community frozen food lockers, extension of rural telephone services and electrification, rural health care and other social and civic services.

Programs and Policies

Farm Bureau's agenda for the 1945 legislature has echoes in today's Farm Bureau policies. In that year, Farm Bureau sought a refund of the state tax on gasoline used off the road; expanded research in poultry diseases and parasites; expansion of advertising for Florida oranges and by-product research by the Citrus Commission; and support for the Cooperative Extension Service and experiment stations.

The protection and preservation of fresh water resources was also a priority. Even then, experts were warning about the potential for saltwater intrusion into the state's water supply.

John D. Clark followed Fullerton as FFBF President from 1943-1944. He was succeeded by one of the most experimental of the early presidents Doug R. Igou (1944-47), a Lake County citrus grower. Under Igou's administration, commodity committees were reorganized and the Water and Drainage Committee was set up to research and advise members on the state's increasing water problems.

1941-1945

In the latter part of the 1940s, under Presidents George Munroe and Francis H. Corrigan, Farm Bureau sought to provide affordable insurance for members. In 1946 it began offering Blue Cross coverage, initially to members in Alachua, Suwannee, Polk, Columbia and Gadsden counties.

Florida Farm Bureau began offering casualty insurance to its members through the newly formed Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company in 1947. The company's auto insurance product gained rapid acceptance among farmers while the life insurance product got off to a slower start.