The Importance Of Agriculture In Iowa

To learn what it means to be an Iowan you have to start with the settlement of Iowa. Iowa was part of the Michigan and Wisconsin Territory before gaining official status in 1838. Iowa’s southern border with Missouri was set via the “Honey War” in 1840. Also in 1840 Iowa had 21 counties and Iowa City was chosen as the capital. Then in 1844-1845 Congress approved Iowa statehood but Iowans rejected its own state constitution. Iowa finally became a state on December 28, 1846.

The native tribes of the Great Plains and the Eastern Woodlands have surprisingly different adaptions and responses to their expansions by settlers; not only in their cultures, but in their subsistence, warfare, peacemaking, and gender roles as well. Both tribes were forced to adapt and change due to the overtaking on the European settlers, but both managed to do it in different ways.

The Europeans changed the land of the home of the Indians, which they renamed New England. In Changes in the Land, Cronon explains all the different aspects in how the Europeans changed the land. Changing by the culture and organization of the Indians lives, the land itself, including the region’s plants and animals. Cronon states, “The shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes well known to historians in the ways these peoples organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizations less well known to historians in the region’s plant and animal communities,” (Cronon, xv). New England went through human development, environmental and ecological change from the Europeans.

1 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has stepped in to provide restorative practices upon 500,000 acres of heavily degraded public grasslands. This land is suffering from severe soil erosion as well as degradation due to overgrazing. The suppression of natural fires has caused shrubs and invasive weeds to encroach upon the grasslands. A full scale assessment will take place on this land before restoration efforts begin. The first thing that would need to be assessed is the soil, for it is eroding and holding little nutrient value. Samples would be taken of this soil from various parts of the grasslands including the eroded gullies. Each soil sample would be taken from at least 1 foot below the surface, to test for carbon richness below the topsoil. These would then be tested for texture, density, water retention, and chemical composition. Typically, powerful, healthy soil will contain amounts of both Nitrogen and Phosphorous, which are essential nutrients in sustainable plant growth. These samples would also be tested for any build-up of salts, something known as soil salinization. Unhealthy, salinized soil is created over years of over-hydrating and deep plowing. Excess water will suffocate root systems of once-healthy crops, and salinized soils will reduce crop output up to 20% (Withgott &Brennan, 2011). The next assessment would be in the shrubs and invasive weed species on the land. Knowing the volume and location of these plants gives way to a better understanding of

Alabama Agriculture: Sustaining Future Generations, is the theme of this essay. A few way to sustain future generations of Alabama agriculture is, like farmers they pass there farm and knowledge down there family. Another example is when you go get a job that is related to agriculture like going to work at a cattle farm they teach you what you need to know to do this job. Those are two examples of ways that we can sustain agriculture for future generations.

This is the history of a beautiful region that takes place back in 1850’s when the Sioux and Winnebago tribes lived in these lands. These tribes spread around the Midwest mostly for their food, which include buffaloes (wild Bison), deer, antelope, and wild turkey and hens, wild fruits cherries, berries, and plums and wild vegetables potatoes, spinach, and prairie turnips. These tribes lived in peace and harmony until Joseph Hewitt and James Dickirson arrived in the area in 1851. Joseph Hewitt and James Dickirson settlement soon became an amicable town. Hewitt traded goods with the indian tribes and Dickirson had rich soil for farming.

to move onto reservations. Settlers came from the East by the thousands in search of new

While families migrated toward this region, the western plains were experiencing some of the greatest droughts to ever occur. In addition to this, “the massive plowing, plus overgrazing by cattle, largely destroyed the native grasses that held the once rich soil in place” (West 1). These settlers were farming on foreign land that they were absolutely new to and maintained the unyielding perception that “land could be shaped by human will” (Black Blizzard). Their rationale was so clouded by the belief that the resources present in the moment were limitless, that they did not see the accumulating cloud of dust slowly slithering across the land. These uneducated farmers were planting soil-depleting crops, which “caused the destruction of organic matter or the loss of minerals in excess of those

As to the European settlement, Indians had interacted with the land in a way that minimized their impact. Indians were marked by greater mobility, changing their location of living depending on the season; from agriculture to hunting. Like the "golden age" of Indians living in harmony with nature, their relationship was one in which they changed the landscape but done in a way that was less of any cause of damage as in using fire to clear

The Plain Indians had interesting geography and landscape to learn about. The Plains were located from Texas to Montana and all the way to Canada. The location causes good weather for farming year round. In the exhibit the location is shown by the Rocky Mountains on the bottom of the exhibit and the Mississippi River on the top of the exhibit. Trees were scarce in the Plains. The trees supplied wood for the Indians so they could make new weapons. In the exhibit this is shown by the Mississippi River. Rivers helped out the Indians by supplying them with fresh food, water, and good soil for farming. In this exhibit the river is shown on the top. In conclusion the Plains Indians rely on natural resources to live a structured

Rain played a crucial part when taking care of the fields. The loss of rain changed the rich, abundant prairie soil into dust. Without the land being able to produce goods, this led to farmers going bankrupt.

I enjoyed reading your post and about the overgrazing in the Great Plains. Over grazing was growing so rapidly in the 1800’s and later in that century caused the public rangelands to become severely depleted and overcrowded (U.S Department of the Interior, 2015). The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) reports that after the implementation of the Taylor Grazing Act (TGA) of 1934 there was a significant decrease in grazing livestock on public lands by ranchers, decrease in livestock population, and increased operation sustainability and stability (U.S Department of the Interior, 2015). As a result, between ranchers’ cattle, sheep and horses, sustainable grass is scarce and can hardly support a variety of herds. (Rayburn, 2000). In contrast, journalist Robin Walters and Sebastian Tsocanos report that there are not many overgrazed pastures at all (Rediscover The Prairie, 2014). In addition, they find that it is not a bad thing for a few herds to be around. Moreover, they express a lack or worry for overgrazing creating another situation similar to the one during the 1800’s that was widely considered a “Dust Bowl” (Rediscover The Prairie, 2014). In addition to the current limitations on land for the vast majority of ranchers, there is now a careful thought taken into account for future generations which prevents some ranchers to not be excessive like

Iowa was once a great vastness of prairie. Plants that had deep roots and were able to withstand anything that the wild Iowa climate, and they are able to thrive in it. Now, there are very few prairies left and these native plants have been pushed to the near brink of extinction. These native plant face a great other barriers from repopulating our urban landscape because of limitations of heights and types of rules and ordinances that inadvertently preventing yards and other large part of property from being planted into native plants. The entire metro community can benefit from allowing more native plants to become lawns and even larger gardens.

here does our food come from? Many people know the answer to this question, but don’t realize how important it is. Our food comes from many different crops all around the world. Farming influences our lives in a drastic way. Without farming, many people would be without the proper nutrition they need. Our lives would become fulfilled with artificial food and our bodies would no longer be healthy. Farming has helped our United States through tough times. It helps to provide for many families across the world and has also helped countries through trade and marketing. There are many reasons why where are food comes from is important.

Agriculture was the most important economic activity in America from the founding of Virginia in 1607 to about 1890. Although farming declined rapidly in relative economic importance in the twentieth century, U.S. agriculture continued to be the most efficient and productive in the world. Its success rested on abundant fertile soil, a moderate climate, the ease of private land ownership, growing markets for farm produce at home and abroad, and the application of science and technology to farm operations.