Farmers In America Research Papers

By the late 1800s, America was transitioning from an economy based on agriculture to one based on industry. Although this transformation made the United Stated richer and more powerful than it had ever been before, it caused farmers to face numerous problems to which they found themselves unable to successfully overcome. Even though many farmers moved into the industrial workforce, the ones who wished to continue agricultural work faced problems such as overproduction and tariff policies. Also, the farmers lost their political power due to the decreased focus on agriculture.

The ability of farmers to take advantage of the new tools available to them in the 1800’s is very much tied to the progress of our country at that time. The inventions of the John Deere’s steel plow made the work of one person equal that of many people previous to that, this plow allowed a person to plant many more acres of food than previous. The invention of Cyrus Hall McCormick’s mechanical reaper allowed farmers to increase from harvesting about a half acre of wheat

Farmers did well after the Civil War and into the 1880s with plentiful rainfall and easy credit from banks. In the 1890s, however, American farmers suffered from drought, poor harvests, restrictive tariff and fiscal policies, low commodity prices, and competition from abroad. A downward swing in the business cycle exacerbated their plight, and many farmers in the Plains filed for

: CORRECT Agricultural practices improve wildlife habitats and lead to increased species populations in farming communities.

As the population of the young United States increased more and more people hungry mouths were asking for food. Farmers had to keep up with new technology but there were also many setbacks in government policy and economic conditions. In the period of 1865-1900, there were many ways in which technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed early American agriculture.

In the late 19th century, farmers all over the country were filled with discontent due to the rough financial and agricultural conditions they were experiencing on the farm. As far back as the Homestead Act of 1862, which gave families land grants west of the Mississippi, farmers have been migrating West. Manifest Destiny was driving these families west creating jobs and opportunities, which had greatly impacted the time. This period before the late 1800s had produced high numbers of wheat, agricultural technology, and success for hard working farmers. The perfect life started to disintegrate with the increase of farmers, and the high amount of wheat being sold. With wheat prices dropping, farmers going into debt, and businesses controlling the economy, the farmers were starting to experience hardships like never before. This was the start of the depression of 1893. Farmers had experienced a number of problems during this time, but the conflicts of the Bimetallic Standard in currency, the overpowering big businesses, and the lack of government interference had contributed greatly to the validity of the farmers argument.

From the early beginnings of America to well into the nineteenth century, America has been dominantly an agricultural country. Farming and the country life have always been a great part of the American culture. Thomas Jefferson even expressed his gratitude for the farming class by saying

The Labor Unions protect their workers in many different ways people do not know. The Unions make it possible for their members to receive adequate pay better benefits, have left of absences, and have vacation time when you ask and not take the punishment for it. Once you are in the union books it is hard to be fired from it. There is a downside of it, you can be laid off which is not being fired.

Throughout time, politics has evolved in response to a society’s needs. American farmers in the late 1800’s had problems of their own that lead to the radical politics of rural America. New technology, the high cost of freight trains and water, and growing cash crops lead to debt and losing land for many farmers: issues that eventually culminated in radical politics.

The food system in the U.S. has changed a lot over these decades. In the past, people grew crops in their land and vegetables in their gardens. Today, the food system is dominated by the industrial farms and food companies. The industrial food system prevents us from knowing the food. We do not know where the food comes from, how it is produced, and what the conditions that animals live in are. Animals, such as cattle and chickens, are raised in concentrated feedlots where the conditions are terrible and the space is narrow. When it comes to the meatpacking, we do not know how the animals are slaughtered, gutted, and skinned. The operations are invisible and conducted behind walls. The industrial food system aims to produce more food faster and more cheaply. However, it hides lots of truths, such as its effect on consumers’ health, the environment, and the society. If there were more transparency in the food system, the inhumane practice of meatpacking would be reduced; the living conditions of animals would be improved; fewer fertilizers and pesticides would be used in agriculture; consumers would have the chance to see how the food is produced and make a wiser choice of what to eat; and the current industrial food system might be replaced.

•Objective 4.4: Protect agricultural health by minimizing major diseases and pests to ensure access to safe, plentiful, and nutritious food

In the19th century there was a farmer and his pregnant wife that lived in a house next to a creek with a bridge that went over it. When the farmer's wife had their baby the farmer got gellous because his wife loved the baby more than him. One night when the baby started to cry during the night, the farmer picked it up by its arms and threw it in the creek. He then went inside and killed his wife. Legend say that when you stop on that bridge you can hear the baby crying and the mom and baby will try to throw your car off the bridge.

My entire life I have been on the farm with my dad and grandpa. When I was too little to drive the tractors I would sit and just ride around with them. Now that I am old enough to drive them, I have a lot of experience, and as a farmer working with your family and friends you hire you can take some days off if needed without getting in trouble.

Farmers Markets are a great summer tradition, but we visited our local Farmers Market to help get us ready for fall. We decided to send one of our employees down to the market to get us ready for fall Here’s what she discovered.

Meanwhile, agricultural reformers advised farmers to rotate their crops, conserve the soil, use fertilizers, adopt new crops, improve livestock breeds, and use the latest machinery. Although a few farmers practiced soil conservation by rotating crops or growing legumes, they just simply plowed up new lands when the fertility of their fields declined. Of the three main components of production—land, labor, and capital—land was the cheapest, so it made economic sense in the short run to exploit the soil to the fullest (Fite 28).