The Farmers Of The United States

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers food assistance programs that help provide food for low to no income families. It is their goal to increase food security and reduce hunger by increasing access to food, a healthful diet, and nutrition education for low-income Americans (Caswell, 2013, para. 1). Some of the current nutrition assistance programs include “the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)”(Caswell, 2013, para. 1). SNAP will be the primary nutrition assistance program of the paper at hand. No matter how morally good it is to try to help reduce hunger and increase food security within the United States, there are still many questions regarding issues with SNAP. This paper will be discussing why there is such a strong support for the program, how it helps the United States as a whole, problems with the program, and why some people are against SNAP.

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

What difference does it make to shop at a grocery store vs a farmer’s market, for fruits and vegetables? Likewise, the grocery store and the farmers market have a diversity of produce at a comparable price. Yet, most people prefer to purchase at the grocery store chains, for example, HEB, Kroger, Albertsons, and Walmart. These stores are accessible every day making it easy and convenient for the buyer, unlike the farmer’s market that is only available once or twice per week. The local farmer's markets are making a comeback across communities and the battle between the two has begun. Grocery stores and farmers market sell fruits and vegetables similar on the surface, but, the farmers market offers a stronger quality and promotes the local economy.

The period between 1870 and 1900 was a time to change politics. The country was for once free from war and was united as one nation. However, as these decades passed by, the American farmer found it harder to live comfortably. Crops such as cotton and wheat, once the cash crop of agriculture, were selling at prices so low that it was nearly impossible for farmers to make a profit. Improvements in transportation allowed larger competitors to sell more easily and more cheaply, making it harder for American yeoman farmers to sell their crops. Finally, years of drought in the Midwest and the fall of business in the 1890s devastated the farming community. Most notably, the Populist Party arose to fight what farmers saw as the issues affecting

American agriculture can produce more food on less land and at cheaper cost than any other nation. Did anyone ever wonder why or how? The documentary Food Inc., produced by Robert Kenner, is designed to put the spotlight on the unsafe preparation of food products, the inhuman treatment of animals being used, and the unethical treatment of workers in corporate farming. Robert Kenner uses multiple rhetorical analysis to get his aspect across to his viewers. Throughout the movie, there are several claims to appeal of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to uncover the true secrets of the American food during its journey to the table.

As a person that has grown most of my own food, without chemicals or engine powered equipment, for the last 15 years and lesser so for many more years I can relate to some degree what it may have been like for a farmer in the 1800’s (I even live in a house built in 1850).

America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a simpler time, Crevecoeur defined an American as someone of European

Over the years agriculture has nearly diminished from the workforce. Why is this happening? In fact, ever since the Industrial Revolution’s promises of “big city success” agriculture has taken a hit. Agriculture has been a foundation for the infrastructure of the United States since it’s creation. Agricultural careers are a necessity for the nation. It is important through the history, from whom it affects, the effects on the environment and people, and to find a solution to the loss of this core element.

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

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

Over the last 90 years the American farming industry has changed drastically in terms of farming techniques, advanced machinery, government farming policies, and chemical inputs. These developments have revolutionized the agriculture industry but every adjustment can bring about both positive and negative ramifications. Author and historian Paul K. Conkin gives a detailed account of the transformative years of early American farm life spanning from the early 20th century into the 21st century when increasing food prices rocked the nation and the early farm laborers struggled to keep up with the changing industry demands. Farmers faced hardships during The Great Depression which then fueled necessary changes in legislation that secured a farmer’s

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 alternative food movement in North America, manifesting largely through farmers’ markets, encourages people to buy local, eat organic, and to support local farmers, however these spaces are rarely reflective of the diverse population of farmers and buyers in the city (Gibb & Wittman, 2013). Moving from a personal to a political narrative, localisation is presented as the way to address social injustices and environmental degradation, working against our current destructive global agri-food system (Allen 2004,2010). Advocating for individuals to buy local organic food is seen as ‘voting’ for “healthier more authentic lives while making positive social and environmental change” (Alkon & Agyeman, 2011:2). Consequently, the concept of ‘local’ food and ‘just’ food are viewed interchangeably by certain actors in the food movement through the increasing integration of the word “justice” into their webpages, non-profit names, and programs (DuPuis, Harrison, & Goodman, 2011). However, I argue that the conflation of local food as “just” by alternative food movements in North America reinforces racial inequities and excludes those most harmed by the current food system, particularly low-income communities and communities of color. As such, this paper proposes the concept of “reflexive localism” as proposed by DuPuis, Harrison, & Goodman (2011) as an approach to address this process of exclusion.

American farmers found themselves facing hard times after the Civil War. In the West, the railroad had opened up enormous opportunities. Farmers were now able to cultivate land that had previously been to far from the Eastern markets to make a profit. However, that opportunity came at a price. The farmers increasing dependence on the railroads and other commercial

Sustainability is one of the top issues when it comes to farming today. Farmers need to consider the effect they are having on their land when using certain practices and products. For this reason, it is important to remember that organic and conventional farming both require extensive work to maintain their products and to provide for the consumer. As we have seen in Steven Shapin’s essay “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic”, in where he references Michael Pollan talking about “Asparagus, which had been grown in Argentina, [and] air-freighted six thousand miles to the States (433)”, the role of the consumer is not limited to those in