When millions of farm laborers left the fields for higher-paying factory jobs or for service in the armed forces during World War II, the Women’s Land Army stepped in to help. Despite many having little or no agricultural experience, they drove tractors and tended crops, sheared sheep and packed produce, and did so while receiving an unskilled worker’s wage. Those who answered the call to join the WLA did so not for money but to contribute to the war effort. And although some farmers remained skeptical about using women as agricultural workers, many others came to appreciate the contributions of WLA recruits.
Photos of Women’s Land Army workers during World War II:
WLA Woman Helps Harvest Tobacco on Husband's Farm
Women Pick Cotton for U.S. Crop Corps
Elaine Norwich of WLA Showing Bushel of Beans
