This collection documents the professional career and public service of Sherwood O. Berg, with a substantial focus on his role as chairperson of the National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber, established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. The collection includes comprehensive documentation of the Commission’s activities, such as collected research materials, correspondence, policy drafts, technical papers, transcripts from public hearings, meeting notes, and the final published reports. Topics span international agriculture, rural development, population pressures, agricultural economics, cotton and fiber policy, nutrition, and global hunger.
The papers also include records from Berg’s international consulting and leadership roles with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities (MUCIA), particularly in Indonesia, Morocco, Cameroon, and the Philippines, covering projects in agricultural education, institutional development, and economic policy.
Further materials document Berg’s service as President of South Dakota State University, including administrative notes, speeches, committee records, and press coverage. His involvement with numerous civic, professional, and international organizations—such as the Reserve Officers Association, Phi Kappa Phi, Nature Conservancy, Farm Foundation, and Rotary International—is also well represented. The collection includes biographical files, awards, military service records, photographs, and correspondence spanning from the 1940s through the early 2000s.
This collection is a record of Sherwood O. Berg’s influence on U.S. agricultural policy, international development, and higher education leadership. It provides insight into federal food and fiber policy during the 1960s, particularly through the Commission’s efforts to guide agricultural decision-making at the national level. The records also reflect the growing emphasis on global collaboration in agricultural education and the modernization of institutions in developing countries. Berg’s presidency at SDSU is further documented through his administrative leadership and campus initiatives, especially those related to internationalization and faculty governance.
