John F. Kennedy probably knew less about agriculture than any presidential candidate before him when he ran for the presidency in 1960, according to LivingHistoryFarm.org. After all, he was from Boston with a wealthy stockbroker for a father.
During the 1960 debate, Kennedy proposed paying farmers an income that would equal their urban colleagues by imposing a system of mandatory production or marketing controls. His opponent, Richard Nixon, thought the surplus would end in a few years and that farmers should "operate in free markets with a minimum of [government] aid." Here, Kennedy and Nixon get ready to speak in the first televised presidential debate on September 26, 1960. Photo: journalismprofessor.com
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JFK appoints Orville Freeman Secretary of Agriculture (January 1961)
Following his defeat for re-election as Minnesota Governor in 1960, Orville Freeman was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by the newly elected President John F. Kennedy, and was retained in that post by President Lyndon B. Johnson following Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963, serving until January 1969. Photo: JFkLibrary.org
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JFK expands the Food for Peace program globally (January 1961)
In January 1961, President Kennedy signed Executive Orders increasing the quantity and quality of surplus food distributed to jobless Americans and expanding the Food for Peace Program to aid the overseas needy. Here, JFK meets with Director of Food for Peace George McGovern. Photo: JFKLibrary.org
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JFK signs Agricultural Act (August 1961)
President Kennedy signed the most comprehensive wheat and feed grain bill since 1938, resulting in higher farm income and lower food surpluses. This measure (known as the Agricultural Act of 1961) extended numerous important agricultural programs such as the Great Plains conservation program and the Wool Act. Photo: JFKLibrary.org
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JFK approves sale of American wheat to Soviet Union (October 1963)
In October 1963, Kennedy called for reducing the trade barriers between the East and West, thus approving the sale of $250 million worth of wheat to Russia. The total value of the wheat ultimately sold was $65 million. Here, President Kennedy and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev shake hands during their meeting in Vienna, Austria, in 1961. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
On the other hand, one of his closest advisors was Ted Sorensen whose father had been born in a Nebraska sod house. Perhaps Sorensen was the influence that caused JFK to declare during the campaign, “The family farm should remain the backbone of American agriculture… [and] the decline in agricultural income is the number one domestic problem in the United States.”
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In recognition of the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination, I have researched the key agricultural milestones during his presidency. Thus, the slideshow above is a chronological selection of important events and legislation from JFK’s administration:
Phospholutions Appoints New R&D VP to Propel Sustainable Fertilizer Technology
015JFK And Agriculture: 5 Key Milestones During The Kennedy Presidency
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Matt Hopkins is Senior Online Editor for the Agribusiness Group at Meister Media Worldwide (MMW), including such brands as CropLife, CropLife IRON, AgriBusiness Global, Global Agtech Initiative, and Cotton Grower. He is responsible for managing an array of digital products, including newsletters, websites, video, and social media. Hopkins originally joined MMW in 1994 as an editor for Greenhouse Grower magazine before transitioning to Business Manager of its MeisterPro division. He has a Communications Degree from Cleveland State University. See all author stories here.
November 20, 2013 
