Food Comes First
Farm production poster: a farmer on a large red tractor ploughs under a stormy sky, with bombers and fighters overhead and tanks on the horizon, beneath the headline 'FOOD COMES FIRST'. The tell is the placing of farm work alongside military hardware so that the farm takes on the standing of the front line (transfer), with a short absolute slogan (glittering generalities).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Department of Agriculture. Artist: Glenn Grohe
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Department of Agriculture. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-785 (NAID 514273).
Text on the object
FOOD COMES FIRST [signature: Glenn Grohe] U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE [imprint: U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1943-O-521086]
