This collection is composed of records of the South Dakota Farm Bureau Federation and associated groups.
The County series consists of a small amount of material from the Brookings County, Codington County and Hamlin County Farm Bureaus. Included are reports and minutes.
The Federation records are composed of committee files, minutes, publications, clippings, bylaws, financial records and historical information. The Committees material is composed mainly of minutes of the various committees within the Farm Bureau Federation. Included are minutes of the Executive Committee, Women's Committee, and Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. The General files include bylaws of the Federation, clippings, financial material, and histories of several county Farm Bureaus throughout South Dakota. Folders are arranged in alphabetical order. The Meeting minutes are composed of meeting minutes of the Farm Bureau Federation dating from 1964-1995. Minutes from several smaller committees are also included. The Publications are composed of Ag Leader, a monthly periodical published by the Farm Bureau that reports on activities of the Bureau.
The Mutual Insurance Company series consists of minutes for a meeting held in 1968, bylaws and agreements. The General files are composed of bylaws and agreements between the South Dakota Farm Bureau Federation, Rural Security Life Insurance Company and the South Dakota Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company. The minutes are composed of minutes from a meeting held in 1968.
The Service Company series consists of meeting minutes.
The South Dakota Farmers Union Records provide a comprehensive account of the organization’s history, advocacy, and role in shaping agricultural policy from the early 20th century to the early 2000s. The collection documents the Union’s efforts to support family farmers, promote cooperative enterprises, and influence state and national agricultural legislation. Materials include organizational records, correspondence, meeting minutes, financial statements, educational materials, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and publications.
A significant portion of the collection pertains to the Union’s legislative and political engagement, featuring records from state and national conventions, speeches, campaign materials, and lobbying efforts. These materials illustrate the Union’s role in advocating agricultural policy reforms, rural economic development, and cooperative business models. Key figures such as Ben Radcliffe, George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey, and Eleanor Roosevelt are represented in convention proceedings, recorded speeches, and radio broadcasts. The 1972 Supreme Court case on public school funding through property tax is also documented through clippings, correspondence, and legal evidence.
The audiovisual materials consist of 13 audiocassettes, 156 open reel tapes, 6 wire recordings, and 34 16mm motion picture films, spanning from 1948 to 1992. These recordings capture state and national conventions, radio programs, speeches, and advertisements, along with footage of state camp activities, tours, picnics, and parades. Many of the materials promote legislative initiatives and endorse political candidates. In 2018, the South Dakota Farmers Union audiovisual collection was digitized with the support of a Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources. Due to the fragile state of many recordings, the Archives partnered with George Blood L.P. to ensure high-quality digital preservation in sustainable formats.
The Cooperative Legacy Project, spearheaded by Chuck Groth, communications director for the South Dakota Farmers Union from 1972 to 2008, provides an in-depth oral history of the cooperative movement in South Dakota. This project includes over 110 hours of digital audio interviews with Farmers Union members, cooperative managers, and farm organization leaders. The interviews, recorded in MP3 and WAV formats, are supplemented by documents, scanned photographs, and rough transcriptions, offering insight into the history and impact of the cooperative movement.
The collection also includes publications from the National Farmers Union and various state organizations, as well as South Dakota Farmers Union-produced materials such as convention programs (1938-1983), policy statements (1954-1988), handbooks, and brochures. The photographic collection, comprising over 33,000 photographs and negatives, documents youth programs, conventions, picnics, tours, and key moments in the organization’s history, as well as images published in the South Dakota Union Farmer.
Records from local unions throughout South Dakota provide insight into grassroots organizing efforts, consisting of charter records, attendance logs, minutes, and correspondence, with some materials accompanied by photographs. This material includes essential governance documents such as constitutions, by-laws, speeches, scrapbooks, and advertising materials, with Farmers Union annual convention minutes spanning from 1926 to 1946.
This collection serves as an invaluable resource for researchers studying agricultural policy, rural advocacy, cooperative movements, and the political and economic history of farming in South Dakota and the United States. Through its extensive documentation of legislative efforts, community programs, and cooperative business models, the South Dakota Farmers Union Records provide a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of American agriculture.
South Dakota Farmers Union