Husmandsforeningen Fremad, later family farming Fremad, was an association and interest organization for smallholders in the Skive region. The association initially functioned with subdivisions in the parishes in Salling.
Historical background
Husbandmen is a term for small farmers. Typically, smallholders could not make a living solely from their own land, but worked part of the time as, for example, farm laborers on larger farms.
The smallholder movement emerged around 1900 as a counterpart to the farmers’ associations, which in practice took care of the needs of larger farms. The interests of the smallholders were significantly different from the larger farmers who dominated the farmers’ unions. Among other things, the smallholders wanted protection against their small farms being bought up by ever larger farms, and the purely practical reality was different on small farms.
In addition, there was a large educational component to the movement, where you could learn to use the best and latest techniques on your farm.
In Skiveegnen, the smallholder movement was strong, both politically, where the Liberal Party had its starting point in the smallholder movement, and intellectually, with Jeppe Aakjær as a strong force both nationally and locally.
The history of Fremad
The association was founded in 1901 by a group of men led by Carl Hansen and in its early years was a far-reaching organization that covered Sallingland, Fjends Herred and Ginding Herred. However, Fjends and Ginding Herred withdrew shortly afterwards and formed their own associations, which is why Fremad as an association covered Salling and Skive.
The history of the association’s formation directly states that the large farmers were opposed to the smallholders having a place in their organizations and that they therefore needed their own in competition with Skive Landboforening.
Fremad was actually a kind of umbrella organization in the beginning, where the individual parishes had their own associations as part of Fremad.
Jens Peder Møller soon became a member of the association and was elected foreman in 1907. As head of the association, Møller was a leading force in the association and was responsible for many of the excursions and educational programs that were offered to smallholders and smallholders’ wives in the association’s early years. After Møller’s death, a memorial stone was erected in honor of him and his wife Else at their farm in Thorum. Together, the couple had been a driving force in engaging the families of ordinary smallholders in the work of the association.
Even though Fjends Herred had its own organization, from 1938 until the merger, there was already great cooperation between the two associations, which had parts of their organization in common.
In 2010, the organization ceased to exist and together with Fjends Herreds Husmandskreds became part of the new “Familielandbruget Midtjylland”. At the same time, the office in Skive ceased to exist.
The association’s work
The association’s primary activity was educational, not political. There had been discussions about whether to ascribe to a particular ideology, such as Georgism. However, there was no will to do so in the association and they focused on a more practical purpose.
There were lectures and demonstrations on how to get the most out of your land. In addition, there were a large number of trips around the local area and a few to other parts of the country to showcase different cultivation techniques etc. In practice, these trips probably also served as a distraction for the farmers, who otherwise did not have the opportunity to see other places.
Over time, the association also took care of soil testing on members’ land to try to increase production.
The chairmen
1901-1902 Søren Ladefoged
1902-1907 Carl Hansen
1907-1935 Jens Peder Møller
1936-1936 Carl Hansen (acting)
1936-1939 Jens Øhrberg
1939-???? Leon Melgaard
????-1945 Jens Tverbæk
1945-1956 Peter Nielsen
1956-1973 Henry Andersen
1973-1976 Svend Aage Kristensen
1976-1983 Johannes Jørgensen
1983-1987 Esper Nørgaard
1987-1990 Bent Pedersen
1990-??? Erling Raun Larsen
???
???-2003 H.P. Vestergaard
2003-? Flemming Birkkjær
Sources
- Husmandsforeningen “Fremad” Mindebogen Else og Jens Peder Møller af Thorum, Skive Folkeblads bogtrykkeri 1936, S21-37 + 182-185
- Skive Folkeblad 23/1-1926, 8/4-1931, 25/1-1938, 17/4-1951, 17/4-1976, 31/1-1979, 21/1-1983, 2/10-2010, 9/7-2018
- FLMJ – Organization – http://flmj.dk/