Identity area
Type of entity
Organization
Authorized form of name
South Dakota State University. Eminent Farmer and Homemaker Program
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1927-
History
The Eminent Farmer and Homemaker Program has been a program of South Dakota State University since 1927. In that first year, following a campaign by the Farmer magazine and the South Dakota Agricultural Extension Service, the South Dakota Board of Regents named two South Dakota farmers Eminent Farmers. In addition to the degree granted by the Board of Regents, the farmer's portraits were hung on the wall in Agricultural Hall in what became known as the "Wall of Fame". In 1928, the Eminent Farmers were joined by two Master Farm Homemakers, a title granted by the Farmer's Wife magazine and the South Dakota Agricultural Extension Service. Women in 12 other states also received the citation, which began as an effort to heighten awareness of the role the farm home played in the community. These Master Homemakers also had portraits placed on the wall and were given the citation in a ceremony taking place at the same time as the Eminent Farmer ceremony. Beginning in 1935, the women's title changed to Eminent Farm Homemaker and the women, along with the men, were granted the degree by the South Dakota Board of Regents. Later still, the title evolved to its current name Eminent Homemaker.
In the early years, the Board of Regents actually granted an honorary degree to the chosen nominees. In the 1950's, the terms were clarified to set the citations apart from that of an honorary degree yet are still a great honor. Today, the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Cooperative Extension Service jointly administer the Eminent Farmer and Homemaker program at South Dakota State University. The college deans and the director of the Extension Service appoint a committee made up of faculty and staff of the respective divisions to take responsibility for the program. Each spring, this committee sends out a letter to County Extension offices asking for nominations and alerts the news media that nominations are being sought. The committee makes recommendations based upon the nominees' contributions to their communities, their families and the professions. Their final recommendations are sent to the president of South Dakota State University for approval and then forwarded to the Board of Regents for final approval.
In 2019, the name of the program was changed to Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family, and Community.