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Victory Farm Volunteers

Sponsor: US Crop Corps of the US Dept of Agriculture in cooperation with other government agencies

 

Also know as: Victory Land Volunteers

Starting in the early summer of 1942, the Volunteer Land Corps sought to help farmers bring in their crops. Farm workers were in short supply due to the war effort. The non-profit was located in New York, New York, but the trial farms were in Vermont and New Hampshire. After working out the kinks of sending older children off to distance farms to do manual labor, the program was viewed as a success.

By 1943, the program was renamed/absorbed into the Victory Farm Volunteer program, an emergency mobilization of America's youth to help with the labor shortage on the ranches and farms due to the war. Both boys and girls in good health were welcomed, though jobs were often segregated by gender. Boys had to be between 15 and 17 years of age, and girls had to be 17 to college age (although younger exceptions are known.) at first, but as the needs grew, younger children were allowed to work shorter hours. Inexperienced "farmers" could earn $25 a month, while "seasoned farmers" could earn $35.

Youth groups such as; Girl Scouts of the USA, Boy Scouts of America & Boys' Clubs of America often volunteered as groups, sleeping and spending their time off at nearby youth camps. School-based groups such as the High School Victory Corps also volunteered.

The federal side of this project ended after

1947, however state and local agencies 

continued to encourage youth to work

local farms.

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3" Embroidered patch. The C is for the youth branch of the United States Crop Corps, and the letters VFV stand for Victory Farm Volunteers.

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Victory Farm Volunteers,

along with the Women's Land Army and other programs, was run by Federal and State extension services during World War II to help meet the need for emergency farm labor. VFV "was primarily for the nation's youth; it employed high school and college students during summer vacations.

In some areas, vacation periods were adjusted to coincide with periods of greatest need for seasonal labor."

Gladys Baker et al. Century of Service:

The first 100 years

of the United States Department of Agriculture. (Washington: 1963), p. 310.

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Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts would stay at the local Scout Camps during the summer and spend their days working at the local farms as Victory Farm Volunteers

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