FarmHouse Fraternity has long designated itself, as the motto suggests, the Builder of Men. It is the belief of the Fraternity that a man is built holistically through intentional development in four concentrations: intellectually, spiritually, socially and morally, and physically. For this reason, FarmHouse Fraternity offers the following Builder of Men Affirmation Initiative.

The Builder of Men Affirmation Initiative is directed by Ritual. It is believed that daily men who bear a connection to our organization work to uphold the ideals and objectives of our Fraternity, earning the title of member. The following prescribed Ritual outlines an intentional pathway for eternal membership encouraging affiliated brothers to celebrate, discuss, actively practice, and become more knowledgeable of our Fraternity Ritual as it relates to daily life.

The object of our fraternity is to promote good fellowship, to encourage studiousness, and to inspire its members in seeking the best in their chosen lines of study as well as in life. Progress shall mark our every step; the spirit of congeniality shall reign at all times; and every member shall be honest with himself as with his brothers. Men elected to our membership are considered to be of good moral character, to be high in scholarship, to have the capacity for meeting and making friends, and to give promise of service to their fellowmen and to the world. To be and become such may at times require a sacrifice of time, pleasures and comforts.

 

 

WHAT IS FARMHOUSE?

FarmHouse is a fraternity dedicated to the building of men. It's a college home in which a man can be: creative, share responsibilities, make lasting friendships, express his inner self in an atmosphere of trust and understanding, learn lessons in living in a community of which he is an integral part, be accepted as a participant, learn the essence of brotherhood, and learn the caring of one man - and of a community of men - for the individual, the brother, for the community, and for the mutual welfare.

FarmHouse is found on college campuses throughout the United States and into Canada, mostly at Land-Grant colleges and universities. It ranges from coast to coast - North Carolina in the East, Washington and Idaho in the West, Mississippi and Texas in the South, and Minnesota and Alberta in the North. Growth has been slow and careful. FarmHouse is dedicated more to the propagation of quality than of numbers.

This home, this brotherhood of students, is the center of campus activities for hundreds of men in agriculture and related sciences, for men who are reared on the farm and those who have an interest and/or respect for rural life.

This FarmHouse home, this gathering place of alumni - of this chapter and other chapters - is the tie between the past, the present, and the future, of men who have an abiding interest in FarmHouse ideals and in the welfare of men of like mind and heart.

FarmHouse is dedicated to promoting the moral and intellectual welfare of its members, to creating an atmosphere of learning which all will inspire men in their scholarly endeavors, to continuing growth through new avenues of learning when school days are past.

FarmHouse encourages social growth and an awareness and practice of the conduct of a gentleman that will become so much a part of the man that he is no longer conscious of effort in achieving social amenities.

FarmHouse stresses faith in God and urges each man to worship in the tradition of his own Church and in accordance with his own beliefs with tolerance for his brothers.

FarmHouse stresses loyalty among its members to: their country, their community, their university, their fraternity, their families, and each other.

FarmHouse strives for: excellence in scholarship (knowing that scholarship is the key which will open many doors later in life), the doors of the mind as doors to fuller appreciation of life, to answers to ethical and practical questions, and to success in industry, business, and agriculture.

And so FarmHouse strives for scholarship. But it strives in larger measure for the well-rounded personality, the development of all facets of a human being important to the kind of person he will become.

FarmHouse sows the seed today which will, with time and nurture, produce the leaders of tomorrow's world: the farmers, the research workers, the teachers, the statesmen, the business executives, and the professional men of the future whose task it will be to: solve the problems of increasing food production, feeding the exploding world population, promote peace among nations, and learning and teaching the essentials for humane existence in a world of technology and science.

FarmHouse Fraternity is what it is by reason of the faithful, loyal and enthusiastic efforts of its members. Whatever greatness it may boast, whatever influence it wields, whatever reputation it may have, all of these and each of these is to be credited to the members of the fraternity.

The goal of a member should be not only to uphold the ideals and reputation he has inherited, but to improve and expand them, for to stand still, to maintain status quo is to take a step backwards.

FarmHouse charges each member to search to his very depths to know, "If every member were just like me, what kind of fraternity would FarmHouse be?"

© 1996-2010 FarmHouse Fraternity, Inc.
7306 NW Tiffany Spring Parkway, Suite 210, Kansas City, MO 64153
Phone: 816.891.9445 || Fax: 816.891.0838

 

 

 

F-A-R-M-H-O-U-S-E

Faith
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 1:1. It means faith in your God; in your fraternity and its members; faith in your school, your state and your nation. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus said, "if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `move hence to yonder place', and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." Never lose faith in yourself, if you would hold the faith of others. Be faithful to the ideals of FarmHouse and its program.

Ambition
Ambition is the unseen force which drives men to success, to rise above their environment and to achieve the impossible. Have ambition which is content not only with making a satisfactory record in college, but also seeks to render service to humanity through science and its application. Strive to foster that ambition which leads a man ever onward in the belief that he may somehow contribute to the betterment of mankind.

Reverence
Reverence must be cultivated if we are to be true brothers. "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe..." Hebrews 12:28. Let us revere our God, our parents, and our brothers with whom we associate. Unless we cultivate such a reverence, we cannot learn the true joys of brotherhood, the foundation of a successful fraternity.

Morality
We must constantly work to learn better how our every act may affect ourselves and others. Genuine moral living involves intelligent love and esteem for our associates.  Unless we possess strong affection for others, we cannot come to know that which is most worthwhile in making for the highest character in man. Every narrowing of love, every encroachment of egoism, every act of selfishness, means just so much blindness to that which is good and fine. Let good moral conduct cease to be a virtue and become an involuntary duty.

Honesty
Honesty is fundamental to character; it is the basis for all worthwhile endeavor; for how can we believe in one who is not strictly honest? In college we expect honesty in the classroom, on the athletic field, as well as in every relationship between men. "Therefore, putting away falsehood, let everyone speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." Ephesians 4:25. Throughout life, one of the greatest tributes that can be paid to a man is to have it said that he is honest.

Obedience
Obedience to God's principles is one of the bulwarks which gives stability to our Fraternity. Obey the mandates of the chapter, the regulations of your school and country. In doing so, always obey the teachings of the MASTER.

Unity
Unity is fundamental to a successful fraternity. With unity a fraternity stands through times of stress as though bound together with bands of steel. Without unity, failure results. "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity." Psalms 133:1. See to it then that you, by hard work and unfailing sacrifice, help weave those individual threads of noble character that bind us together in an effective and worthwhile organization.

Service
A loyal brother in FarmHouse must render service to his Fraternity and to his brothers if his Fraternity is to grow and prosper. "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another." Galatians 5:13. See to it that you render service to God; to your profession; to your fellowmen; to your country; and to your school all the days of your life. The very essence of successful living is based on the Christian ideal of service.

Excellence
"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8. A primary goal of our Fraternity is to excel in our profession. Maintain the high standards of excellence as set forth by our Founders and the many members of our organization who have preceded us. The basis for success is education. Education is the knowledge of how to use the whole of one's self. Strive, therefore for the fullest development of knowledge in your profession; in the building of character, in furthering high moral standards; the development of essential skills; and the furtherance of good health; so that no impediment may hinder your progress to the highest pinnacle of success in life.

 

 

 

 

HISTORY OF FARMHOUSE

FarmHouse Fraternity is what it is by reason of the faithful, loyal, and enthusiastic efforts of members of the fraternity.  Whatever greatness it may boast, whatever influence it wields, whatever reputation it may have, all of these and each of these are to be credited to the members of the organization.

In order to understand the development and history of FarmHouse Fraternity, we must keep clearly in mind what kind of social order existed on the University of Missouri campus during the time of its birth and infancy.

- Click on a decade below to explore the past century of FarmHouse -

 

© 1996-2010 FarmHouse Fraternity, Inc.
7306 NW Tiffany Spring Parkway, Suite 210, Kansas City, MO 64153
Phone: 816.891.9445 || Fax: 816.891.0838

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF FARMHOUSE FRATERNITY D. Howard "Daddy" Doane (1883-1984) was a true Renaissance man - a student, a teacher, a writer, a business man, a poet, a farmer, a public servant, a devout Christian. Most widely known as the founder and long-time Chairman of the Board of Doane Agricultural Services, which is the oldest and for decades was the largest farm management, appraisal and agricultural research organization in the United States. Among his many life accomplishments, Doane served on an agriculture task force appointed by President Herbert Hoover that was charged with reorganizing the US Department of Agriculture. He wrote four books and numerous articles for the leading agricultural journals and magazines. He provided leadership to dozens of civic and professional organizations throughout his lifetime. He received a B.S. in agriculture in 1908 and M.S. in agriculture in 1909 at the University of Missouri. He received three Honorary doctorates as well. Robert F. Howard (1883-1963) spent the first 15 years of his professional career as an educator before owning and running a large beef cattle operation and commercial pecan farm in Texas for the better part of his life. Howard was a professor and chairman of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Nebraska from 1914-24 after teaching previously at the University of Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. He moved to Wharton, Texas, in 1924, where he ran a 2,000 acre ranch with cattle and thousands of pecan trees. He provided leadership to many local and statewide civic organizations and initiatives in Texas for the last 40 years of his life. Howard received his B.S. in agriculture from Missouri in 1908, a masters in 1912 while teaching at Nebraska. Claude B. Hutchison (1885-1980) was an educator for more than 40 years of his life, teaching at the University of Missouri, Cornell University, University of California-Davis, University of Nevada and spent more than 20 years as a Vice President (1945-52) and Dean of Agriculture at the University of California - Berkeley (1930-52). For four years in the 1920s, he was the associate director of agricultural education for Europe. In 1946, he was the chairman of an agricultural mission trip to China by the US Department of Agriculture. He retired from instruction in 1954, serving his last two years as Dean of Agriculture at Nevada. And from 1955-63 he served as mayor of Berkeley, Calif. Hutchison received honorary degrees from Missouri, Sofia, Bulgaria and California. Henry H. Krusekopf (1886-1979) was a leading expert on soils, spending 48 years as a professor and researcher in the College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri. He received his B.S. in agriculture in 1908 and his masters in 1916 from Missouri. He did graduate work at Illinois in 1931-32. He was the author of numerous publications and journals on soil development and soil survey. "Krusey" was a member of a number of scientific, honorary and professional societies. He also consulted a number of federal and international agencies on agriculture, flood control, forestry and Indian land claims. In his spare time, Krusekopf owned and operated a farm in southeast Missouri. Earl W. "Farmer" Rusk (1885-1968) spent most of his career as a farmer and farm manager, yet enjoyed a variety of other professional interests. He briefly taught an Animal Husbandry course and served in the Farm Loan department of a large insurance company. He was farm service director of two Chicago radio station for four years, was agricultural agent for a railroad, and was supervising salesman and farm service director for a rock phosphate company for 14 years. He raised hogs and cattle on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks before retiring in California. Farmer Rusk graduated from Missouri in 1909. His son, William D., was the first son of a FarmHouse man to be initiated into FarmHouse in 1933. Henry P. Rusk (1884-1954) spent most of his professional career on staff at the University of Illinois, including the last 13 years of his career as Dean of the College of Agriculture. He received a B.S. in 1908 and M.S. in 1911, both from the University of Missouri. He served in the Department of Animal Husbandry at Illinois from 1910-1939. He was head of the department from 1922-1939. Among numerous accomplishments, he was the chair of President Hoover's commission on agriculture from 1948-1954. Rusk provided leadership to multiple national, state and local boards and organizations. He received honorary doctorates from three universities. Melvin E. Sherwin (1881-1924) was head of the soils department at what is now called North Carolina State University when he died at age 42. After graduating with a B.S. in agriculture in 1908, he received an M.A. in agriculture from the University of California-Berkeley in 1909. He spent one year as an agronomy instructor at the University of Maine before he joined the staff at NC State in 1910.

© 1996-2010 FarmHouse Fraternity, Inc. 7306 NW Tiffany Spring Parkway, Suite 210, Kansas City, MO 64153 Phone: 816.891.9445 || Fax: 816.891.0838

 

 

 

THE 4-FOLD BUILDING PROCESS

Universities have as their primary purpose the intellectual growth of the student. They provide faculty, classrooms, lectures, laboratories, and study areas all designed with this primary objective in mind.

They bring into the university communities cultural opportunities to enrich; men and women of excellence in the arts, science, political science and myriad areas; they arrange exchanges with other university communities in similar areas. These diverse opportunities provide for the students, each of whom has a different need, experiences unattainable anywhere else in such orderly form.

...Intellectually

Intellectual growth is usually the prime objective of the student, too, and so we believe it becomes a primary responsibility of the Fraternity. It is the aim of FarmHouse to amplify the cultural and intellectual atmosphere and environment of the university, by providing surroundings conducive to study, by offering counseling to students who require assistance, by helping a man to plan his time, by encouraging each man to apply himself to his primary goal with diligence.

Some chapters embark upon programs of intellectual enrichment by inviting well-known philosophers, theologians, and educators to speak to the chapter, and by then engaging in dialogue with these men and others in an attempt to understand not only the visitor but also themselves.

The Fraternity provides the arena for discussion of current topics, related to areas of common study, to politics and current events, all within the boundaries of friendship and brotherhood. It provides for this same exchange with faculty members, often invited to the House for an evening; with members of the Faculty Advisory Committee, who are concerned with the smooth operation of the chapter, with the relationships of the men with each other and with their relationships with the community and with the university.

In our chapters each pledge is assigned to a "Big Brother," an upperclassman, whose responsibility it is to give counsel and guidance in areas where the pledge experiences difficulty. In some of our chapters the men work as teams of two evenly matched gradewise, competitively, to improve their study habits and to sharpen their minds. Some of the chapters have embarked upon a program of art appreciation, renting paintings on a monthly basis from a local art gallery to adorn the walls of the chapter house.

Talented young people in the chapters are encouraged to perform individually and in small groups within the chapter as well as to share their talents in all-campus activities.

...Spiritually

When a young man goes to college he is usually taking a first major step toward independence. At this time his religious convictions and his feelings toward the morals and customs he has shared with his family undergo a major step. He may build on these foundations, or he may, consciously or unconsciously, drift away from his religious convictions. FarmHouse chapters, however, encourage their members to grow in their faith and in their ties with their church.

In the words of one FarmHouse man, "The very essence of fraternity is the bond of the spirit. Conciliation and reconciliation are the sine qua non of that bond. A spirit fabric consciously and subconsciously woven of confidence, helpfulness, forgiveness, joy, respect, trust, and all the rest, represents the material of which fraternal life is made.

"Religious faith, while an intimately personal thing, is to be nurtured, not diminished, by the common life of the brotherhood. It is ever an object of concern and respect; never one of ridicule or of superficial pretense.

"Depth and diversity of conviction lend richness of color to the spirit fabric of the chapter's life. And, if that depth and diversity are not consciously nurtured, both the chapter and the member will have been severely deprived.

"A fraternity has profound influence upon the health of faith and spirit. That influence should be responsible influence. It should never be left to chance. Health of spirit should be attended to at least as zealously as health of mind and of body." (Kleis, page 6)

...Socially & Morally

Society demands of us that we live within the laws, which it has written. It demands that we look at every act we perform in relationship to its effects on those with whom we live. As our communities grow in size and as we become even more aware of the greater community the demands become more and more frequent, and immeasurably larger.

Additionally our love for our fellow man demands discipline and concern for our every act, that we do not blindly step on others on the way to the top, that we do not sweep aside unconcernedly the basic truths with which our families endowed us as children.

Respect for ourselves and each other demands that we behave with intelligence and with regard for each other, to the best of our abilities, in a controlled and considerate demean.

We are judged in society by our manners, by our attitudes and by our behavior. As members of a group we have come to realize that the group is often judged by the actions of the individual, as the group with which he associates judges the individual.

It is the aim of FarmHouse to create opportunities for its members to develop social refinement. Chapter functions often include dances, exchanges with sororities and fraternities, Parents' Weekends, Founders' Day celebrations, and Homecoming festivities.

A majority of the FarmHouse chapters employ a housemother who is experienced in working with young people and is generally an excellent resource person for advice in social matters.

Friendly and constructive criticism is part of the plan of FarmHouse living and is designed, in part, to help each man to achieve ease and poise at social functions. It is recognized that the ability to accept constructive criticism and to profit by it comes with maturity.

...Physically

To be mentally alert, productive, and a contributing member to the Fraternity and society, a man needs to be in good health.

It is essential to his well-being that he eat well balanced meals, have an adequate amount of rest, receive a proper amount of exercise, and that his emotional status be healthy.

FarmHouse is opposed to hazing and harassment and any and all activities designed to degrade the individual or cause embarrassment.

There is a saying in FarmHouse, "One cannot build men by tearing down boys."

A major lesson that every university man must learn is how to plan his time so that he is able to study, to rest, and to pursue recreational interests in proper relation to his responsibilities to the university, his chosen field, and his family. Members of the Faculty Advisory Committee and upperclassmen will assist those young men who find difficulty in planning their schedules.

Most of the chapters actively participate and compete in their campus' intramural sports program. In addition, a number of the chapters have, or are acquiring, recreational and physical fitness equipment such as a small basketball court, ping-pong table, weightlifting equipment, etc

 

© 1996-2010 FarmHouse Fraternity, Inc.
7306 NW Tiffany Spring Parkway, Suite 210, Kansas City, MO 64153
Phone: 816.891.9445 || Fax: 816.891.0838 ||

 

 

 

THE CENTRAL ATTRIBUTES

Leadership

University activities provide many opportunities for young people to assume leadership roles. Additionally, the Fraternity provides unique opportunities for leadership within the chapter and association.

A FarmHouse chapter operates both as a family unit and as a small business. It has freedom to develop the pattern of living that members, as a group, desire to have. There are also responsibilities for operation of the house and for implementing group decision. There are bills to be paid, minor repairs to the structure and equipment, food buying and managing a budget. There are programs and projects which are decided upon in chapter meeting. All of these tasks fall to the members of the FarmHouse chapter, under the direction of the leaders.

The president is responsible for the direction of the total life of the chapter. The treasurer is responsible for the collection of all living costs, dues, fees and assessments. He is also responsible for the payment of all bills and for the bookkeeping.

The house/business manager is responsible for the operation of the house. He works with the association to keep the house in good repair and to maintain the grounds. He typically is involved in hiring and supervising the cook and other employees in the house. He works out the arrangement whereby the members share the daily routine work assignments so that each man shares a part of the responsibility.

Others are responsible for the social activities with in the chapter; still others make arrangements for chapter participation in all-campus functions. This experience of living as a community and working as a team for the mutual benefit of the members is a priceless experience. It is unique and is not offered by dormitories, private housing, clubs or other campus groups.

Members are encouraged to be selective in their activities so that they choose projects of merit and groups of worth with which to associate. They are urged not to join everything available for the sake of accumulating great lists of involvements. Members should recognize that some projects have merit; some have none. Some are appropriate for one man. Some for another.

"Progress is made by men and fraternities who set objectives, lay out courses of action, and move in straight lines rather than circles. There is a powerful distinction between business and busyness." (Kleis, page 6)
A man is encouraged to do no more than he can do well. The emphasis is on excellence of purpose, excellence of choice and excellence of performance.

Scholarship

Universities provide the atmosphere, the faculty, the staff, the classrooms, the libraries and references, and the laboratories where the formal learning experience may take place. They set the scene for the student, who wishes to learn.

The student enters seeking knowledge that will prepare him for life, usually in some specialized area or profession. The true scholar will consume the facts, probe the knowledge of the professor, and use the facts and opinions obtained to pursue TRUTH. He will accept the challenge to see for himself, to look beneath and beyond the facts and opinions acquired in the classroom.

FarmHouse places emphasis on excellence in scholarship and has established a record of high scholastic achievement. It is intended that the environment of brotherhood in FarmHouse will provide a home-base for the scholar while he searches for the truth, that he will be strengthened in his desires to seek the ultimate, and that his relationships will encourage him in no way to deter him in his goals.

Year after year FarmHouse chapters across the United States and Canada have remained at or near the top scholastically among all fraternities on the campuses where chapters are located.

It is important that every active member of FarmHouse consider the difference between "gradesmanship" and scholarship. IN an effort to preserve one's scholastic standing, it is often easy to concentrate on getting the grade rather than pursuing knowledge that will be valuable later. As stated above, if one is to be a true scholar, a FarmHouse man should discipline himself to study for the sake of knowledge rather than memorizing facts to parrot back to the professor.

Fellowship

"True fraternalism means giving of one's self for the betterment of others through personal sacrifice," from the Charge, FarmHouse Ritual of Initiation.

"Fellowship is intrinsic to fraternity. Fellowship never truly grows if it is fed on the forfeited freedoms of honest and earnest individuals. Fellowship has its highest expression in volunteered conformity. It attains its lowest expression when likeness and uniformity are prerequisite to admission as well as requirements of day to day life in the chapter.

"FarmHouse at its best elects men of potential, varied and diverse potential, then contributes its utmost to the development, not to the containment, of that potential.

"It is the symbiotic relationship of men of varied talents, divergent backgrounds, and differing views, engaging in honest and earnest quest, sustaining and challenging themselves and each other, that the full meaning of fellowship can be known. And it is in precisely the same pattern of relating that the largest hope - in fact, the only hope - of man's ultimate survival on our spinning sphere is to be found." (Kleis, 1964)

 

© 1996-2010 FarmHouse Fraternity, Inc.
7306 NW Tiffany Spring Parkway, Suite 210, Kansas City, MO 64153
Phone: 816.891.9445 || Fax: 816.891.0838 ||