New Technology In The Midwest

Modern day farming has transformed from the farming process of last century. Instead of farmers producing for their families, farmers are now similar to input/output managers supplying massive manufacturers that feed the country.

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.

Like consumers, farmers do not have much choice either. Farmers plant crops that are demanded by the global food market. Essentially, farms are no longer owned by farmers and the farmers become the laborers. Also, it sometimes is all or nothing for farmers. For one, some land can only be used for one crop, for example coffee, and if something goes wrong with the crop, farmers lose everything. Second, unskilled labor jobs are dwindling, so there might not be much else a farmer could do if something were to happen to their land. It seems that when crops do well, farmers should be making a lot of money, however, the food processors and distributors are the ones who make most of the profit. Because of this, farmers are left with pennies compared to what the others make. Farmers and consumers have fought to control the food system, but what other choice do they have than to support it?

Former president George Washington once said, “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man,” (George Washington Quote). Since Washington’s presidency, countless advancements and developments within the agricultural industry have allowed the United States to grow, develop, and become one of the most prosperous countries in the entire world. Nevertheless, this prosperity is also marked by several key historical events, such as the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions, which have caused the core values and traditions that this great nation was built on to slowly disappear. Today, the majority of Americans have no knowledge, understanding, or appreciation for the agricultural industry, causing them to take for granted the basic necessities they rely on each day. This disconnection has created a gap between producers and consumers, which is known as

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

The new technology used in American agriculture made it overall more productive and widespread while creating mixed results for the farmers. The advancement in machines like reapers, threshers, and mowers to harvest grains produced contrasting outcomes. An obvious benefit was some of the ease brought to the farmers. The human labor involved in harvesting grain by hand with a scythe or by a simple, one horse-powered machine was far greater than harvesting with a big, multi-horse powered machine. The devices made work simpler, faster, and more efficient for the farmers by relying on animal energy and technology (Document D). With promises of larger crops with less exertion, the new machines became very desirable to farmers in order to stay in competition with their peers; however, buying these machines also pushed many of them into unfortunate financial situations. Not only was the actual

From 1880-1906, western farmers were affected by multiple issues that they saw as threats to their way of life. The main threats to the farmers were railroads, trusts, and the government, because these institutions all had the power to drastically affect the ability of the farmers to make profits. Therefore, the farmers were not wrong to feel frustration toward those institutions when the institutions caused the farmers to live lives of increasingly extreme poverty.

New mechanized farming techniques led farmers to be able to increase their profits (Document C). With the help of the new technology for farming, farmers produced more crops than ever. However, the overproduction of wheat and the Great Depression is what unfortunately led to the reduced market prices. As a result, the wheat market was swamped, and people were too poor to buy. Furthermore, due to the great loss, farmers were unable to earn back what they produced, so instead they expanded their fields in an effort to turn their unfortunate circumstance into a profit. However, the prairies they covered with wheat caused the grass to slowly disappear and the fields were left bare (Document

During the Industrial era, the government practiced a laissez-faire policy towards businesses, free land grants to railroads and a high tariff as well were established. All of these did not help the farmers at all because of their need to support themselves and their families. Life was hard in the west for the average farmer, most of which were barely making any money. Mary E. Lease states, “We went to work and plowed and planted; the rains fell, the sun shone, nature smiled, and we raised the big crop they told us to; and what came of it?” (Doc. 3). Lease continues by listing many different crops farmers grew but with very little money in return. For a group of people to put so much effort into one harvest but make virtually nothing from it is very disturbing. That is when many people realized their situation and after a year or so, gave up and went to work in a factory. Nowadays, almost everyone would agree with how dire the economic status was and that a change was needed. Moreover, farmers who used the railroads were affected economically. The distance between an eastern market and a mid-western farm is about one thousand miles or more. Before the introduction of the railroads, it was very expensive and very difficult to ship food at those great lengths. However, all that changed during the Industrial era. Farmers now had to only move their product to the closest train to bring it eastward, but that

Before industrialization, we depended heavily on farmers; they would grow crops so we could survive and live peacefully, but because of industrialization we faced other problems, the Gilded Age. This age has the farmers facing many problems: tariffs, taxes, shelter, money, etc. Farmers are unable to survive in this situation. Based on the article, Overview of the Gilded Age, “Many farmers blamed railroad owners, grain elevator operators, land monopolists, commodity futures

Growing up on a small family wheat farm in southwestern Oklahoma, I have experienced the harsh conditions of farming firsthand. The job that used to employ the largest amount of people in the United States has lost the support and the respect of the American people. The Jeffersonian Ideal of a nation of farmers has been tossed aside to be replaced by a nation of white-collar workers. The family farm is under attack and it is not being protected. The family farm can help the United States economically by creating jobs in a time when many cannot afford the food in the stores. The family farm can help prevent the degradation of the environment by creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the people producing the food and nature. The family farm is the answer to many of the tough questions facing the United States today, but these small farms are going bankrupt all too often. The government’s policy on farming is the largest factor in what farms succeed, but simple economics, large corporations, and society as a whole influence the decline in family farms; small changes in these areas will help break up the huge corporate farms, keeping the small family farm afloat.

The agriculture field is one of the biggest employers, employing over 155 million people in the United States. What do you think about when you hear the word “agriculture?” Many people would say farming, but this is not the most common occupation in this field. Farmers make up a fraction of the agricultural jobs at 900,000, but over 2.1 million people own, rent, and claim farming as a primary source of income. The average farm size has dropped from 460 acres in 1990 to 418 acres in 2007, while the average age of this occupation rose to 57, making this one of the older workforces in the United States.

Today that push of farmers to leave their rural areas and move to the city can be associated with an inability to compete with large corporations. These large companies have the resources and ability to undercut and

According to an extensive projection research project, the population of America is expected to increase to approximately 438 million citizens by the year 2050 (Passel). This is a sharp increase in today’s population of roughly 315 million. If this projection is accurate, it looks like our nation is at a high risk of overpopulation. Imagine living in a town where you can’t drink tap water without the risk of contracting numerous illnesses from it. Where the only food that hasn’t been put through countless forms of processing is far beyond your budget. Where going outside isn’t refreshing because the place you live in is so crowded you feel like you’re going to suffocate. This is just a taste of what overpopulation looks like. However, there is a huge step we can take to prevent dangerously crowded cities. We have a lot of land that is being used for farming, and this farmland could be renovated into cities. Vertical farming could be the key improvement to our country’s rise in population. In his book The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman wrote of numerous techniques that the most successful individuals and businesses use to ensure they remain at the top of the food chain. Using these techniques decrease the likelihood of an individual’s job being outsourced or automated, and help companies stay successful. Vertical farming has great potential because it requires a vast amount of synthesis between workers, and it applies to

The cost of production credit also increased by the same percentage. Coetzee claims that this phenomenon and the above information explain why farming has become an activity in which price and yield risk is so high, and especially why farmers with minimal debt and better land are the favourites to survive the current economic situation (2008:34). The lack of debt and the superior land quality enable farmers to reduce the negative effects of the unstable economic climate on their operations, and to compete efficiently with farmers who operate without these advantages.