Victory Farm
a book and exhibit by
karen weissman, ph.d.
In June of 1945, fourteen year old Sam travelled alone from his home in the Bronx to live and work on a farm in Jordan, New York, during what turned out to be the last three months of World War II. He had never met the farmer before, nor had he ever visited an active farm, let alone worked on one. It was a remarkable thing for a young, urban teen to do and for his parents to allow—an act of necessity and duty that can only be understood when you consider the world circumstances that led to it. It ended up being one of the most important experiences of his life.
Teens Helped Feed America During WWII
Sam belonged to a little-known program called the Victory Farm Volunteers that recruited city boys and girls age 14-17 to help ease a farm-labor shortage during World War II. This shortage threatened famine not only at home, but also overseas where allied nations entrenched in battle on their own soil could not provide for themselves. Food—quite plainly—was critical to winning the war. It is estimated that 2.5 million teens, across every state that had farmland, participated in this program throughout the war years. Yet most people have never heard their story.
Sam at age 76 with the same tractor he drove as a young teen in 1945.
Karen Weissman, Ph.D.
AND THE VICTORY FARM PROJECT
The Victory Farm project began with a trip to upstate New York that Karen took with her father, Sam. Almost 70 years after his summer on the farm, they returned for a reunion with the farmer’s daughters, the historians for Jordan and Elbridge, NY and the current owner of the farmhouse. Through hours of recorded discussions and interviews along with dedicated research into the history of the Victory Farm Volunteer Program, Karen has created an engaging nonfiction narrative and collected visual materials about this undiscovered time in American history.
Karen is a passionate writer and environmental advocate. She has captured audiences with the book “The Spiritual Chicks Question Everything” which she coauthored in 2001, and her blog @closetheloopnyc about living sustainably in New York City. Dr. Weissman received a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Princeton University and spent her career prior to writing as an acoustical scientist working on NASA spacecraft launches and active noise control for electric power transformers.
Do YOU know someone who was a VICTORY FARM VOLUNTEER?
Be notified WHEN THE VICTORY FARM BOOK & EXHIBIT Launch.
Victory Farm
© 2024 Karen Weissman