The War Food Administration was a United States government agency that existed from 1943 to 1945. The War Food Administration was responsible for the production and distribution of food to meet war and essential civilian needs during World War II. It was a predecessor of the Farm Service Agency.
The agency helped create school lunch programs in the United States, and administered farm labor programs. [1] [2]
The War Food Administration was established by Executive Order 9322 of March 26, 1943 (amended by Executive Order 9334 of April 19, 1943). [3] It was under the direction of the War Food Administrator, who was appointed by and was responsible to the President.
Marvin Jones was appointed War Food Administrator by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and led the agency from 1943 to 1945. [4]
The War Food Administrator determined the direct and indirect, military, other governmental, civilian, and foreign requirements for human and animal food, and for food used industrially; formulated and implemented a program to supply food adequate to meet the requirements; allocated the Nation's farm production resources as needed; assigned priorities and makes allocations of food for all uses; insured the efficient and proper distribution of the available food supply; and made recommendations to the Chairman of the War Production Board covering the quantities and types of nonfood materials, supplies, and equipment required to carry out the program of the War Food Administration.
The Administrator determined the need and amount of food available for civilian rationing, exercising his priorities and allocation powers in this connection through the Office of Price Administration.
The War Food Administrator also had responsibility for farm labor supply and farm wage and salary stabilization. [5]
The National Archives website describes the origins of this agency as follows:
The Agricultural Adjustment Administration was established under the Agricultural Adjustment Act (48 Stat. 31), May 12, 1933. It was reorganized under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (49 Stat. 1148), February 29, 1936. It was redesignated the Agricultural Adjustment Agency and consolidated with the Sugar Agency, Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, and Soil Conservation Service into Agricultural Conservation and Adjustment Administration by EO 9069, February 23, 1942. It was assigned to Food Production Administration by EO 9280, December 5, 1942; and to Administration of Food Production and Distribution by EO 9322, March 26, 1943, renamed War Food Administration by EO 9334, April 19, 1943. Its functions reverted to the Secretary of Agriculture when War Food Administration abolished by EO 9577, June 29, 1945. It was subsequently assigned to the Production and Marketing Administration by Secretary's Memorandum 1118, August 18, 1945. [6]
The Office of Labor was established in the War Food Administration (WFA), effective June 23, 1943, by Administrator's directive, June 21, 1943. It administered wartime farm labor activities of the Department of Agriculture. It was abolished concurrently with the WFA by EO 9577, June 29, 1945. Its successor agencies were the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture (July-Aug. 1945), and the Labor Branch, Production and Marketing Administration (PMA, Aug. 1945–1948). [2]
The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was a United States federal law of the New Deal era designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses. The government bought livestock for slaughter and paid farmers subsidies not to plant on part of their land. The money for these subsidies was generated through an exclusive tax on companies which processed farm products. The Act created a new agency, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to oversee the distribution of the subsidies. The Agriculture Marketing Act, which established the Federal Farm Board in 1929, was seen as an important precursor to this act. The AAA, along with other New Deal programs, represented the federal government's first substantial effort to address economic welfare in the United States.
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money and rents after the outbreak of World War II.
This section of the Timeline of United States history concerns events from 1930 to 1949.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the United States Department of Agriculture agency that was formed by merging the farm loan portfolio and staff of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). The Farm Service Agency implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster and farm marketing programs through a national network of offices. The Administrator of FSA reports to the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation. The current Administrator is Richard Fordyce. The FSA of each state is led by a politically appointed State Executive Director (SED).
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) was a program established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, building on the Hoover administration's Emergency Relief and Construction Act. It was replaced in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
The United States maintained its Constitutional Republic government structure throughout World War II. Certain expediencies were taken within the existing structure of the Federal government, such as conscription and other violations of civil liberties, and the internment and later dispersal of Japanese-Americans. Still, elections were held as scheduled in 1944.
The Economic Research Service (ERS) is a component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States. It provides information and research on agriculture and economics.
The Bracero program was a series of laws and diplomatic agreements, initiated on August 4, 1942, when the United States signed the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement with Mexico. For these farmworkers, the agreement guaranteed decent living conditions, and a minimum wage of 30 cents an hour, as well as protections from forced military service, and guaranteed part of wages were to be put into a private savings account in Mexico; it also allowed the importation of contract laborers from Guam as a temporary measure during the early phases of World War II.
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other forms of media, the OWI was the connection between the battlefront and civilian communities. The office also established several overseas branches, which launched a large-scale information and propaganda campaign abroad.
The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime Commission and ship allocation under the WSA to Army, Navy or civilian needs were closely coordinated though Vice Admiral Emory S. Land who continued as head of the Maritime Commission while also heading the WSA.
The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Supply Priorities and Allocation Board and the Office of Production Management.
Nathan Gregory Silvermaster, an economist with the United States War Production Board (WPB) during World War II, was the head of a large ring of Communist spies in the U.S. government. It is from him that the FBI Silvermaster File, documenting the Bureau's investigation into Communist penetration of the Federal government during the 1930s and 1940s, takes its name. His wife, Helen and stepson, Anatole Volkov, were members of his ring.
The War Manpower Commission was a World War II agency of the United States Government charged with planning to balance the labor needs of agriculture, industry and the armed forces.
The United States home front during World War II supported the war effort in many ways, including a wide range of volunteer efforts and submitting to government-managed rationing and price controls. There was a general feeling of agreement that the sacrifices were for the national good during the war.
The Federal Security Agency (FSA) was an independent agency of the United States government established in 1939 pursuant to the Reorganization Act of 1939. For a time, the agency oversaw food and drug safety as well as education funding and the administration of public health programs and the Social Security old-age pension plan.
Executive Schedule is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions, most with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. They include members of the president's Cabinet, several top-ranking officials of each executive department, the directors of some of the more prominent departmental and independent agencies, and several members of the Executive Office of the President.
The agricultural policy of the United States is composed primarily of the periodically renewed federal U.S. farm bills. The Farm Bills have a rich history which initially sought to provide income and price support to US farmers and prevent them from adverse global as well as local supply and demand shocks. This implied an elaborate subsidy program which supports domestic production by either direct payments or through price support measures. The former incentivizes farmers to grow certain crops which are eligible for such payments through environmentally conscientious practices of farming. The latter protects farmers from vagaries of price fluctuations by ensuring a minimum price and fulfilling their shortfalls in revenue upon a fall in price. Lately, there are other measures through which the government encourages crop insurance and pays part of the premium for such insurance against various unanticipated outcomes in agriculture.
Colonel Stanley Andrews was a journalist and U.S. Army officer from Missouri who headed both the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Technical Cooperation Administration of the U.S. Department of State. Colonel Andrews was a veteran of both World War I and World War II. Andrews wrote an unpublished memoir, Journal of a Retread, a copy of which he donated to the Truman Presidential Library along with transfer of its copyright to the public domain.
The Combined Production and Resources Board was a temporary World War II government agency that allocated the combined economic resources of the United States and Britain. It was set up by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill on June 9, 1942. Canada, after insisting on its economic importance, was given a place on the board in November, 1942. The Board closed down at the end of December 1945.
The Combined Food Board was a temporary World War II government agency that allocated the combined economic resources of the United States and the United Kingdom. It was set up by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill on June 9, 1942. Canada, after insisting on its economic importance, was given a place on the board in November, 1942. At first the Board was a pawn in a battle between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. War Food Administration. After that was resolved, the Board ran smoothly, and effectiveness increased. Its major achievement was the multi-nation commodity committees that it set up in 1945, which became the International Emergency Food Council. It tried to organize responses to a massive shortage of food in war-torn areas. It closed in 1946.
This article incorporates public domain material from the National Archives and Records Administration document: "Records, Farm Service Agency". This article incorporates public domain material from the National Archives and Records Administration document: "Records of the office of Labor (War Food Administration)". This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: " http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/ATO/USGM/Agriculture.html ".
