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Bygone Merit Badges: What Happened to Them?


ASM915

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My all-time favorite...Nut Culture.

 

MB are usually "retired" due to lack of interest. I predict that "Composite Materials" will not be around long. It only exists because a trade association volunteered to donate the resources and expertise to get it going. I don't think there were a lot of 12 year olds sitting around the campfire saying "gee, I sure wish there was a merit badge for Composite Materials".

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Several years ago I was putting in limestone rock wall in our garden. Halfway into the job, as I was showing my son about footers, line levels, mortar mix and the like, I thought, "I'll bet there is a merit badge for this stuff!" There was - Masonry - but, alas, it had been dropped just a few years earlier.

 

We finished up the wall and he learned about masonry skills, but no merit badge.

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How about Pidgeon Raising MB?

I earned this as a youth, about 1976-77 time frame. My grandfather raised and bred pidgeons for many years. He tried to pass the tradition on to his grandsons, and while we helped him out with the day-to-day chores, the spark never really caught on.

 

Trev-- I believe that masonry is now a part of Home Repair(?) MB. You may want to investigate that further

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I disagree on Composite materials how cool is making your own skate board, surf board, skim board, kayak, canoe, fishing rod, or any of the other projects with real world uses as well there are more and more people who work with these materials for a living. The products made of composites increase every year.

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  • 4 weeks later...

What is interesting is that at times the BSA has increased the number of merit badges in certain fields at certain times, then merged them all together.

 

From 1942-52, the BSA took the Aviation Merit Badge and split it out into 4: Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, Airplane Design, Airplane Structure. This were all important to the Air Scout program at the time. Changes in the program caused the BSA to merge them back into one.

 

In the late 20s/early 30s, to encourage Scouting amoung farming youth, the BSA rolled out a large number of farm based merit badges that most were wiped out in 1975.

 

Agriculture 1911-75 became Food Systems

Animal Industry 1928-75 became Animal Science

Bee Keeping 1911-95

Beef Production 1928-75

Citrus Fruit Culture 1931-52 became Fruit & Nut Growing

Corn Farming 1928-75

Cotton Farming 1931-75

Dairying 1911-75

Farm & Ranch Management 1980-87 became Agribusiness

Farm Arrangement 1960-73 became Farm Arrangements

Farm Arrangements 1974-79 most likely merged into Farm & Ranche Management

Farm Home & Its Planning 1928-59 became Farm Arrangement

Farm Layout & Building Arrangements 1928-59 became Farm Arrangement

Farm Records & Bookkeeping 1928-58 became Farm Records

Farm Records 1959-80 became Farm & Range Management

Food Systems 1978-87 became Agribusiness

Forage Crops 1959-75

Fruit & Nut Growing 1953-75

Fruit Culture 1928-54 became Fruit & Nut Growing

Grasses, Legumes, & Forage Crops 1938-58 became Forage Crops

Hog & Pork Production 1928-58 Hog Production until 1975

Nut Culture 1928-54 became Fruit & Nut Growing

Poultry Farming/Keeping 1911-75

Rabbit Raising 1943-93

Sheep Farming 1928-75

Small Grains & Cereal Foods 1943-1958 became Small Grains

Small Grains 1959-75

Soil Management 1928-52

 

The last of these is:

Agribusiness 1987-95

 

Still around:

Animal Science 1975-present

Farm Mechanics 1928-present

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ASM915

Marinated Squab was a delicacy in our humble household. With 10 people under one roof, (and only one bathroom :)), it helped the family budget to have the squab for meals on occasion. My grandfather was an excellent cook, and I learned alot from him that pertained to scouting, and outdoor cooking.

Amazing how one merit badge opens the door to learn, and become familiar with other scouting /life skills.

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