In the Vietnam war era, were young men who were farmers

[raccoon]

Or ranchers exempt from the draft?

[Kaleva]

1. No

I knew of one man who grew up on a farm not far from my home who was KIA. A farmer, one who operated and owned his own farm and was still young enough for the draft was pretty rare I would think. I didn't know of any.

[raccoon]

3. I should've been clearer. I guess most men that age would be working on the family farm in T

[Brother Buzz]

2. No, but my observations in boot camp....

A shit load of them joined the reserves and national guard.

[LanternWaste]

4. My only source seems contradictory on the issue.

The two likely deferments are as follows:

2-A Registrant deferred because of civilian occupation (except agriculture)

2-C Registrant deferred because of agricultural occupation

(Michael S. Foley, Confronting the War Machine)


Which is odd, because in WW2 (only 25 years prior) American farmers were specifically exempted from the draft (which is certainly not denying that many farmers did in fact, enlist of their own volition) to maintain both the (then) current level of domestic consumption and a vastly increased amount in shipped food production.

[Kaleva]

5. Both of my grandfathers were exempt from the draft in WWII

One was a farmer and the other worked in the woods.

[haele]

6. No. Deferred, but not exempt for the draft.

Deferrals were postponements for military service. It meant that the person was still available to be drafted, but they were given a deferral for military service for time to get affairs in order or to finish a particular activity before they might be drafted and then had to go through processed.
If you were exempt, you weren't supposed to be eligible for the draft until you no longer met the qualifications for exemption.
Your Draft Card would have a classification showing whether or not you continued to be subject to the draft and processing for military service. If you were exempt or deferred upon initial registration, your classification might change after you registered and you would be subject to "check in" every six months to a year to maintain your classification unless you were identified as unfit and permanently exempted - like Ted Nugent.

For the entertainment of the millennials around here, here are various Draft Classifications code that might be on your draft card during the early 1970's:

I-A
Available for military service. And as soon as your number came up, you had two weeks to check in at your assigned military training site)

I-A-0
Conscientious objector available for noncombatant military service only It was very difficult to get an exemption as a CO.
I-C
Member of the armed forces of the U.S., the Coast and Geodetic Survey, or the Public Health Service (My uncle was USACoE from 1957 - 1963, his draft card showed him as I-C)
I-D
Member of reserve component or student taking military training (My dad, in the CANG between 1958 and 1968, was I-D)
I-H
Registrant not currently subject to processing for induction
I-0
Conscientious objector available for civilian work contributing to the maintenance of the national health, safety, or interest
I-S
Student deferred by statute (High School)
1-SC
Student deferred for six months to complete of High School or College
I-Y
Registrant available for military service, but qualified for military only in the event of war or national emergency
I-W
Conscientious objector performing civilian work contributing to the maintenance of the national health, safety, or interest
II-A
Registrant deferred because of civilian occupation (except agriculture or activity in study)
II-C
Registrant deferred because of agricultural occupation. Deferral would be extended if there was low unemployment in the area - the registrant had to have a specialized full-time skill - pretty much someone like veterinarian, horticulturalist, or a specialist in pest/disease control - and couldn't otherwise be easily replaced by temporary workers.
On edit - we lived in a California agricultural town in the late 1960's for a couple years - farmers were being drafted...
II-D
Registrant deferred because of study preparing for the ministry
II-S
Registrant deferred because of activity in study
III-A
Registrant with a child or children; registrant deferred by reason of extreme hardship to dependents
IV-A
Registrant who has completed service; sole surviving son
IV-B
Official deferred by law
IV-C
Alien
IV-D
Minister of religion or divinity student
IV-F
Registrant not qualified for any military service
IV-G
Registrant exempt from service during peace (surviving son or brother)
IV-W
Conscientious objector who has completed alternate service contributing to the maintenance of the national health, safety, or interest in lieu of induction into the Armed Forces of the United States
V-A
Registrant over the age of liability for military service

Haele