Wofford Benjamin Camp
Encyclopedia
Wofford Benjamin "Bill" Camp (1894–1986) was a USDA agronomist who played an instrumental role in the development of corporate farming, particularly of cotton, in California.
Camp was born in Cherokee County, South Carolina
in 1894 and attended Clemson University
, where he earned a degree in agronomy in 1916. He took a job with the USDA Cotton Breeding Office and was transferred to California in 1917 to develop a long-staple cotton supply for the covering required by military aircraft during World War I. Camp became famous for developing the California cotton industry during and after the war.
in Kern County, California, Camp began to experiment with 96 different varieties from different sources worldwide. He determined that Egypt
ian Pima cotton was the superior option and quickly developed widespread production, managing to generate successful crops within the year in 1917 and again in 1918. When the war came to a close and removed the need for long-staple cotton for military aircraft, Camp succeeded in expanding the cotton industry in California under USDA auspices rather than scaling it back.
ning. He used USDA money to bring James S. Townsend to California to adapt the cotton gin to the fine lint of Acala #8. In 1924, he successfully pressed for a "one variety" law prohibiting the growth of other varieties of cotton in California's cotton-growing counties. This development ensured that the Acala #8 plants would not be contaminated with other varieties and that the Shafter station (the originator of the variety) would remain dominant in the California cotton industry.
in 1928, Camp returned in 1933 to oversee the cotton program in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, part of the New Deal
. He encouraged the move away from fruit farming toward cotton across California and helped funnel federal aid to cotton growers (especially large growers).
.
Camp was born in Cherokee County, South Carolina
Cherokee County, South Carolina
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The county was formed in 1897 from parts of York, Union, and Spartanburg Counties. It is included in the Gaffney, South Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 United States Census, the county's...
in 1894 and attended Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, where he earned a degree in agronomy in 1916. He took a job with the USDA Cotton Breeding Office and was transferred to California in 1917 to develop a long-staple cotton supply for the covering required by military aircraft during World War I. Camp became famous for developing the California cotton industry during and after the war.
World War I
Soon after arriving at the USDA station at ShafterShafter, California
Shafter is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is located west-northwest of Bakersfield. The population was 16,988 at the 2010 census, up from 12,736 at the 2000 census. Wired telephone numbers in Shafter follow the format 746-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93263.The city is located...
in Kern County, California, Camp began to experiment with 96 different varieties from different sources worldwide. He determined that Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Pima cotton was the superior option and quickly developed widespread production, managing to generate successful crops within the year in 1917 and again in 1918. When the war came to a close and removed the need for long-staple cotton for military aircraft, Camp succeeded in expanding the cotton industry in California under USDA auspices rather than scaling it back.
Postwar era
Soon after the end of the war, Camp switched California cotton cultivation to the Acala #8 variety and pushed for the mechanization of cotton ginCotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
ning. He used USDA money to bring James S. Townsend to California to adapt the cotton gin to the fine lint of Acala #8. In 1924, he successfully pressed for a "one variety" law prohibiting the growth of other varieties of cotton in California's cotton-growing counties. This development ensured that the Acala #8 plants would not be contaminated with other varieties and that the Shafter station (the originator of the variety) would remain dominant in the California cotton industry.
Great Depression
Having briefly left the USDA to work for the Bank of ItalyBank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
in 1928, Camp returned in 1933 to oversee the cotton program in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, part of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. He encouraged the move away from fruit farming toward cotton across California and helped funnel federal aid to cotton growers (especially large growers).
Private grower
In 1936, Camp permanently left the USDA and founded W. B. Camp & Son in Kern County, a diversified farming operation. Camp died in 1986 in Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
.