It’s a familiar, commonly uttered phrase — “the end of an era” — but how often do any of us actually experience such an event firsthand?
To that end, the prevailing mood was bittersweet when the remaining members of Berrien County’s Junior Farm Bureau recently voted 12-2-1 to disband, closing the books on a longer history than that of any other known Farm Bureau group in Michigan.
For the record, there are more than 15 surviving members than were able to attend the group’s final meeting, Sept. 28 in the back room of an Italian restaurant in St. Joseph. Those kept away by distance or health issues checked in remotely, sharing written statements to update their fellow Juniors on their whereabouts and wellbeing.
The youngest of them are in their late 80’s; the oldest — Helen Morlock — is closing in on 100.
Launched in 1935, the Junior Farm Bureau program took hold in Berrien County two years later and quickly saw enough participation to splinter into four sub-groups: central, north, south and west. It was the predecessor of the Young Farmer program so vital to the organization today.
“I’ve lived my life with the Junior Farm Bureau,” said Bob Norris, one of several members present who helped the group in its most visible achievement, constructing the Youth Memorial Building at the Berrien County Fairgrounds.
That edifice hosted the group’s reunions through 2022, after which their declining numbers made it more convenient to convene at local restaurants. Soon a memorial plaque inside the Youth Memorial Building will double as a Junior Farm Bureau time capsule, with documents about the group’s activities and achievements tucked into a pocket behind it.
“We learned so much about how to get along in the world,” Norris said, anticipating a chorus of like-minded agreement and support from his peers, many of whom credit their Junior Farm Bureau involvement for equipping them with what today’s generations might call “life skills.”
“We got basic, good instructions for starting things,” added longtime member Barb Radewald, who among other activities played a key role in planning Michigan Farm Bureau’s 2019 Centennial Celebration. “We learned basic organizational skills that outfit people to serve in leadership roles in Farm Bureau and other organizations as well.”
Name changes in the 1950’s and 60’s gave the program more professional polish, but didn’t change its focus on leadership development or its utility for forging the close relations and unity that galvanizes the greater Farm Bureau family.
President Ed Kretchman attended the meeting to express his gratitude on behalf of the entire Berrien County Farm Bureau — past, present and future.
“Junior Farm Bureau minutes should be required reading,” Kretchman said. “Your activity level was never matched.
“You built the foundation of our county Farm Bureau.”
District 2 Director Paul Pridgeon attended on behalf of the MFB Board of Directors.
“What you built, the impact of it is greater than you’ll ever realize. I get to ride on the reputation of what you built,” Pridgeon said. “It’s monumental.
“If I had to overcome what you overcame? I don’t know if I’m tough enough. What you built and created is crucial to my family’s farm and experience.”
To learn more about the Junior Farm Bureau, revisit this article about their 2022 reunion.
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