Guide to the California Farm Research and Legislative Committee records
MS.371
Carrie Hamilton, Alix Norton
University of California, Santa Cruz
2024
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz 95064
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: California Farm Research and Legislative Committee records
Creator:
California Farm Reporter
Creator:
California Farm Research and Legislative
Committee
Creator:
McDonald, Grace, 1889-
Identifier/Call Number: MS.371
Physical Description:
16.35 Linear Feet
6 cartons, 1 half carton, 6 flat boxes
Date (inclusive): circa 1940-1999
Abstract: This collection documents the research
and advocacy activities of the California Farm Research and Legislative Committee
(established in 1941) and its official publication, the
California Farm
Reporter
. This collection is largely composed of materials documenting the
Committee's work on issues affecting farmers, workers, and consumers in California, as well
as some materials pertaining to broader national and international issues in the 20th
century. The bulk of the materials in this collection likely belonged to Grace McDonald,
executive secretary of the Committee and editor of the
Reporter for over 30
years. Materials directly produced by the Committee span 1941 to 1974 and include Committee
memos, reports, and promotional materials; the professional and personal correspondence of
Grace McDonald;
Reporter article drafts; meeting and event announcements,
agendas, and minutes; speech transcripts; membership and subscription records; and financial
records.
Language of Material:
English .
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs.
Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair
use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to
determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more
information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.
Preferred Citation
California Farm Research and Legislative Committee records. MS 371. Special Collections and
Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Unknown source of acquisition, possibly Grace McDonald in 1980s.
Administrative History
The California Farm Research and Legislative Committee was a coalition of farm, labor,
cooperative, consumer, church, community, and professional groups dedicated to building a
rural-urban alliance in California and across the United States. The Committee was
established in 1941 and, although the year and circumstances of its dissolution are unknown,
operated until at least 1974, the latest date of the Committee's original materials included
in this collection. The
California Farm Reporter was the official publication
of the Committee, providing subscribers monthly updates on issues affecting farmers,
workers, and consumers in California and beyond. The Committee used the
Reporter to engage in a wide range of advocacy work, leveraging research to
organize Committee members and associates around issues spanning farmer and labor
cooperatives; price controls, taxes, and subsidies; the plight of family farms; migrant
labor; wages and working conditions; water availability and utility rates; livestock,
poultry, and dairy; crop production; public health and safety; hunger and nutrition; social
welfare programs; and even broader national and international issues.
The California Farmer Research and Legislative Committee was formed after the Central Labor
Council of Santa Clara County, AFL-CIO was asked to help bail Santa Clara County prune and
apricot growers out of bankruptcy in 1941; the organizing that led to a $25-million
appropriation for farmers ultimately became the California Farm Research and Legislative
Committee. Grace McDonald served as executive secretary of the Committee and editor and
publisher of the
California Farm Reporter from 1941 until her retirement 33
years later.
The Committee faced regular financial obstacles throughout its existence. By 1972, the
Committee was forced to consider whether it would be able to continue publishing the
Reporter as an independent, cooperative news publication. While they had
once heavily relied on financial support from organized labor, in later years the Committee
struggled to raise sufficient funds from its members and associates. Following the desire of
the Committee's long-time executive secretary, Grace McDonald, to ensure the self-reliance
of the Committee beyond her impending retirement, the Committee eventually established a
nonprofit, the Farmer Consumer Associates, Inc., which continued to sponsor and house the
Reporter. The Committee was renamed at least twice in its existence,
changing first to the California Farmer Consumer Information Committee and then to the
Farmer Consumer Associates. In the 1960s, the
California Farm Reporter was
renamed the
California Farmer Consumer Reporter.
Biography of Grace McDonald
Grace Burnham McDonald was born in 1889 in New Haven, Connecticut, the daughter of a
clinical professor of neurology at Yale University. McDonald inherited a sizable sum of
money after her first husband, the son of a wealthy Kentucky whiskey maker, died in the
early 1920s. She used this fortune to further industrial and agricultural labor interests
across the United States for the remainder of her life.
In the 1920s, McDonald helped found the Workers Health Bureau in New York City, which
established the first health and safety code for workers in the building trades. In the
1930s, McDonald moved to Santa Clara, California, and worked alongside her second husband,
Joseph McDonald, to advance the railroad unity movement. In 1941, McDonald helped establish
the California Farm Research and Legislative Committee and the
California Farm
Reporter
. According to materials in this collection, McDonald's work on behalf of
the Committee and
Reporter was largely voluntary and unpaid; a collection of
typists, librarians, writers, and researchers worked alongside McDonald to publish the
Reporter from the Committee's office and research library at McDonald's
home in Santa Clara.
Throughout her life, Grace McDonald was involved in many political efforts and
organizations. McDonald died on her 95th birthday in 1984 in San Jose.
Content Description
This collection documents the research and advocacy activities of the California Farm
Research and Legislative Committee (established in 1941) and its official publication, the
California Farm Reporter. This collection is largely composed of materials
documenting the Committee's work on issues affecting farmers, workers, and consumers in
California, as well as some materials pertaining to broader national and international
issues in the 20th century. The bulk of the materials in this collection likely belonged to
Grace McDonald, executive secretary of the Committee and editor of the
Reporter for over 30 years. Materials directly produced by the Committee
span 1941 to 1974 and include Committee memos, reports, and promotional materials; the
professional and personal correspondence of Grace McDonald;
Reporter article
drafts; meeting and event announcements, agendas, and minutes; speech transcripts;
membership and subscription records; and financial records. Materials not directly produced
by the Committee, but included in their records, span 1936 to 1982. Presumably materials
used for Committee and
Reporter research, these include press releases,
reports, event proceedings, speech transcripts, legislative documents, newspapers,
newsletters, and promotional materials produced by various agricultural and labor
organizations and government agencies. These materials span a wide range of topics that the
Committee often classified by issue area: agriculture, labor, consumer issues, corporations,
politics, social issues, the environment, and utilities. Recurring topics include farmer and
labor cooperatives; price controls, taxes, and subsidies; the plight of family farms;
migrant labor; wages and working conditions; water availability and utility rates;
livestock, poultry, and dairy; crop production; public health and safety; hunger and
nutrition; and social welfare programs. A smaller selection of materials span broader
national and international political issues and events, such as anti-communist persecution,
the Cold War and atomic warfare, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and the 1973
Chilean coup d'état. Forms of materials in this collection include correspondence, reports,
statements, newsletters, newspapers, agendas, minutes, legislation, and Rolodex cards.
Arrangement
The records in this collection are arranged in alphabetical order by title of folder, with
Rolodex cards arranged at the end.
Separated Materials
The
California Farm Reporter and the
California Farmer-Consumer
Reporter
newsletters are available via UCSC Library Search (Call number HD1775.C2
C35).
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Carrie Hamilton with assistance from Alix Norton in the
Center for Archival Research and Training (CART), 2023-2024.
Related Materials
More information about Grace McDonald can be found in the following sources:
Grace McDonald Papers, 1936-1969. Collection Number 5203, Kheel Center for Labor-Management
Documentation & Archives, Cornell University Library.
Grace McDonald Papers, BANC MSS 85/139 cLOCAL, The Bancroft Library, University of
California, Berkeley.
Oral history of Grace McDonald, n.d., interviewed by Sherna Berger Gluck. University
Library, California State University, Long Beach.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Agriculture -- California -- Periodicals --
Archives
Business records
California farm reporter
Agriculture -- California
Conservation of natural resources
Water -- Law and legislation --
California
Consumer protection --
California
California -- Politics and
government
Box 1, Folder 1
26th Anniversary Testimonial Dinner
1943, 1967
Scope and Contents
This file contains materials pertaining to the Committee's 26th Anniversary Testimonial
Dinner memorializing Murray Lincoln and honoring Grace McDonald.
Box 1, Folder 2-5
Administrative records
1955-1982
Scope and Contents
This file contains forms, reports, correspondence, and other records pertaining to the
Committee's government filings (e.g., post office registration, census). It also
includes the names and contact information of Committee members, Reporter subscribers,
and community and political contacts.
Box 1, Folder 6, Box 6, Folder 1
Agriculture and World War II
circa 1940-1945
Scope and Contents
The file contains research and advocacy materials pertaining to agricultural production
and market regulation during and immediately following World War II.
Box 1, Folder 7-10, Box 6, Folder 2
American Institute of Cooperation conference
1956, 1960
Box 1, Folder 11
California State Board of Agriculture meetings
1968-1969
Box 6, Folder 3
California Table Grape Committee
1961 April-May
Scope and Contents
This file contains news clippings and memos pertaining to the establishment of a
California Table Grape Commission.
Box 1, Folder 12-24, Box 6, Folder 4
Committee annual meetings
1944-1974
Scope and Contents
This file contains agendas, announcements, and/or minutes from Committee meetings, as
well as topic materials (e.g., statements, reports, presentation transcripts) likely
pertaining to the subjects discussed at meetings.
Box 1, Folder 25
Consumer Federation of America
1971-1973
Box 1, Folder 26
Committee promotional materials
circa 1961-1965
Box 1, Folder 27
Cooperatives
1941, 1960-1971
Scope and Contents
The file contains statements, reports, and correspondence pertaining to farmer and
consumer cooperatives.
Box 1, Folder 28-30, Box 2, Folder 1-14
Correspondence
1941-1975
Scope and Contents
The file contains correspondence to and from the Committee. Grace McDonald is the
author or recipient of almost all correspondence included in this collection.
Correspondence includes advocacy surrounding issues affecting farmers, labor, and
consumers, as well as broader national and international issues (e.g., the assassination
of MLK).
Box 2, Folder 15-16
Correspondence: Chile
1973
Scope and Contents
This file contains correspondence pertaining to the 1973 Chilean coup d'état. Grace
McDonald is the author or recipient of almost all correspondence included in this
collection.
Box 2, Folder 17
Correspondence: California State Department of Agriculture
1961-1964
Box 2, Folder 18
Correspondence: USSR health
1961-1964
Box 2, Folder 19
Department of Water Resources reports
1969-1970
Box 2, Folder 22-23
The family farm
1951-1964
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements, memos, reports, and correspondence pertaining to issues
affecting family farms in California, including the Committee's
The Family Farm
in California
report.
Box 2, Folder 24
Farmer-Labor-Consumer Institute
1961
Scope and Contents
This file contains announcements, the agendas, and topic materials for the 1961
Farmer-Labor-Consumer Institute.
Box 2, Folder 25-33, Box 6, Folder 5-7, Box 8
Financial records
1944-1980
Scope and Contents
This file contains high-level financial summaries of Committee activities (e.g.,
salaries, contributions, memberships, office supplies, meetings, projects). It also
contains detailed lists of Committee member and CFR subscriber contributions, as well as
related financial correspondence.
Box 2, Folder 34-35
Foreign trade
1937-1938, 1964-1966
Scope and Contents
The file contains pamphlets and reports pertaining to foreign trade and
agriculture.
Box 3, Folder 1-14, Box 6, Folder 8
Freedom from Hunger Committee
1951-1970
Scope and Contents
This file contains research materials, correspondence, and administrative records for
the Freedom from Hunger Committee.
Box 3, Folder 15-16
Grace McDonald personal records
1909, 1950-1984
Scope and Contents
This file contains files and correspondence pertaining to Grace McDonald's personal
affairs. It includes a 1909 loan agreement between McDonald's first husband and Upton
Sinclair, as well as Grace McDonald's 1984 obituary printed in the
Santa Clara
American
.
Box 3, Folder 17-18, Box 6, Folder 9-10
Health and welfare
1954-1979
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements, memos, reports, and correspondence broadly pertaining to
health and social welfare. Key topics include hunger, education, healthcare, elderly
assistance, censorship, foreign aid, and defense spending.
Box 3, Folder 19
Industry: Beekeeping
1960-1973
Scope and Contents
This file contains news bulletins and statements pertaining to beekeeping.
Box 3, Folder 20
Industry: Fisheries
1964-1967
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements and pamphlets pertaining to fisheries.
Box 3, Folder 21-35, Box 6, Folder 11
Industry: Dairy, livestock, and poultry
1954-1970
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements, memos, reports, and correspondence pertaining to issues
affecting dairy, livestock, and poultry producers.
Box 4, Folder 1
Industry: Hay, grain, and feed
1956-1970
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements, memos, reports, and correspondence pertaining to issues
affecting hay, grain, and feed producers.
Box 4, Folder 2-6
Industry: Vegetables
1956-1970
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements, memos, reports, and correspondence pertaining to issues
affecting vegetable growers.
Box 4, Folder 7-10
Joint Economic Committee Subcommittee on Agricultural Policy
1948-1958
Scope and Contents
This file contains reports, correspondence, and transcripts surrounding the Joint
Economic Committee Subcommittee on Agricultural Policy.
Box 4, Folder 11-15
Labor news
1945-1973
Scope and Contents
This file contains collected newspaper clippings and newsletters of various labor
organizations.
Box 4, Folder 16
Land management
1958-1968
Scope and Contents
This file contains reports, statements, and correspondence pertaining to agricultural
and wilderness land management.
Box 4, Folder 17-22, Box 6, Folder 12-14
Market practices and regulation
1937-1973
Scope and Contents
This file contains reports, statements, and correspondence pertaining to agricultural
market practices and regulation. Key topics include industrial agriculture, agricultural
market outlook, marketing, price measures, and subsidies.
Box 4, Folder 23
National Farmers Union
1954-1973
Box 4, Folder 24
National Land for People
1977-1978
Box 4, Folder 25
National Welfare Advocate news
1958-1959
Box 5, Folder 1-3
Organized labor
1953-1982
Scope and Contents
The file contains reports, statements, and correspondence pertaining to industrial and
agricultural labor. Key topics include migrant labor, minimum wage and collective
bargaining rights for agricultural workers, worker health and safety, and
industrial/agricultural labor solidarity.
Box 5, Folder 4
Overproduction and hunger
1956-1960
Scope and Contents
The file contains reports, statements, and correspondence pertaining to surplus
agricultural production and distribution issues.
Box 5, Folder 5
Pest control
1943-1945
Scope and Contents
The file contains reports and memos pertaining to pest control, largely produced by the
California Department of Agriculture. Most materials pertain to the Oriental fruit
moth.
Box 5, Folder 6, Box 6, Folder 15-20
Photocopies and photocopy logs
1973
Scope and Contents
This file contains logs of photocopied materials, classified by category (agriculture,
labor, consumer issues, politics, social issues, the environment, Grace McDonald,
utilities, corporations, miscellaneous).
Box 6, Folder 21
Political pamphlets and petitions
circa 1944-1965
Scope and Contents
This file contains political pamphlets and petitions surrounding national and global
issues outside of agriculture. Prominent subjects include atomic warfare, the World
Peace Appeal, Spanish Fascism, and the Hollywood Ten.
Box 5, Folder 7-25, Box 7, Folder 1-3
Public utilities
1943-1980
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements, memos, and reports pertaining to public utilities (e.g.,
energy, water, telephone, transit). Recurring themes include rural electrification, the
Central Valley Project, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company rate hikes.
Box 5, Folder 26
Rail rates and labor
1957-1969
Scope and Contents
This file contains statements and correspondence pertaining to the costs of railway
freight, as well as safety issues for rail workers.
Box 5, Folder 27
Report: The Effect of the Central Valley Project on the Agricultural and
Industrial Economy and on the Social Character of California
1944 September 29
Scope and Contents
The file contains a 1944 report produced for the Committee on the projected impacts of
the Central Valley Project agricultural economy and rural life.
Box 5, Folder 28
Reporter editorial correspondence
1967-1968
Scope and Contents
The file contains correspondence, editorial notes, and article drafts pertaining to
1967-1968 Reporter issues, including materials on the assassination of Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Box 7, Folder 4-5
Rosenberg Trial
1952-1953
Scope and Contents
This file contains pamphlets, correspondence, and advocacy materials pertaining to the
Rosenberg Trial.
Box 5, Folder 29-30
Rural-Urban Research and Education Center
1971-1973
Scope and Contents
The file contains correspondence and administrative materials related to the
Rural-Urban Research and Education Center (RUREC) established to archive and facilitate
public access to the research materials produced by the Committee since its
establishment. This file includes the catalogue of materials held by RUREC at the Santa
Clara Public Library.
Box 5, Folder 31
Union Research and Information Service
1951-1953
Box 9, Box 10, Box 11, Box 12, Box 13
Rolodex cards
circa 1950s-1970s
Scope and Contents
This file contains cards with contact information for Committee members, associates,
Reporter subscribers, and political contacts.
Arrangement
Cards are arranged in their original order, alphabetically by name of contact or
associated organization.
