The Women's Land ArmyThe Women's Land Army efforts saved the 1918 harvest in the United States. With World War I raging, Europe was experiencing a severe food shortage. The American harvest was needed to save lives.
With so many men fighting in the War, who could bring in the harvest? The farmers said, "send in the women, we will see how it works out." Women across America answered the call. Women came from all walks of life – teachers, college students, secretaries, factory workers, domestic workers, court stenographers – responded to the call from gardening clubs, suffrage societies, women’s colleges, civic groups, the YWCA and the newly founded WNF&GA. Quickly dubbed “Farmerettes”by the media, many of these women had never worked on a farm before. Ready to learn, they were soon plowing fields, driving tractors, planting and harvesting. The WLA uniform sparked much discussion and some controversy – those scandalous trousers! – but reports from the units remarked that the uniform provided a sense of unity and equality among the women. During World War II, over a million women jointed the Women's Land Army, now part of the US Department of Agriculture’s United States Crop Corps. Americans, including many F&G branches and divisions, planted thousands of victory gardens and produced much needed food. In Michigan, some branches purchased pressure cookers and rented them for 25 cents a day to farm women to assist them in preserving their harvest. |