Minnesota Farm Economy Oral History Project: Interview with Gerald Hagaman

Titles: Minnesota Farm Economy Oral History Project: Interview with Gerald Hagaman (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Hagaman grew up in Illinois and joined the state Farm Bureau in 1953 as a county organization director. He later served as executive secretary of a county farm bureau, as a district representative for sixteen counties, state director for young people's activities, and membership relations director for the Illinois Farm Bureau. He has also represented the American Farm Bureau Federation as area field services director in the Midwest region and as coordinator for the natural resources and environmental division. He has served as chief administrator-secretary of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation and Affiliated Companies since 1978. Hagaman has been active in numerous church and civic groups and holds the Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. He presently serves as chairman of the board of trustees of the Minnesota Bible College in Rochester. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Information on the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Illinois and Minnesota Farm Bureau federations and their split with the federal extension service; environmental issues as related to agriculture, especially water-use claims on federal and private lands, water pollution, groundwater contamination, and wetlands; prevention of soil erosion; the public reaction to advertising and the role of the news media in reporting use of herbicides and pesticides; the need for education on food safety; farm economics including the 1980s farm crisis, subsidy programs, commodity prices, and world trade; low impact sustainable agriculture (LISA). Also discussed is family versus corporate farming and the effects of vertical integration on farming.

Dates

• 11/22/1989 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Hagaman, Gerald
• interviewer: Robertson, Margaret A.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 76
• Accession Number: AV1989.258.1

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Minnesota Farm Economy Oral History Project' <OH 76>

Quantity: 1 hour sound cassette 17 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 60 minutes length

Subjects

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