During 1865-1900, agriculture went through many changes through economic, social, and government circles. The expansion of the Wild West from the east coast to the west coast opened up many opportunities, but like in urban settlements, also fell under the whims of monopolies and big business. Arid areas like the Prairies also impacted agriculture. Undoubtedly, American agriculture was irrevocably impacted by all these factors. Before 1890, railroads were limited mainly to the east coast and only a few main lines. By 1890, however, that number swiftly grew to more than twice that amount (B). This opened up more opportunities to transport produce and meat. However, farmers were easily taken advantage of by the railroad companies, who often charged unreasonable rates for transportation. It wasn’t until after 1900 when trust busting would become a thing, so farmers were out of luck until then. The Homestead Act was a godsend to most farmers. Anyone could have land if they made it profitable. However, it turned out to be a scam as there were too many people and not enough acres to go around. The arid qualities of land also made it difficult to irrigate and actually produce sellable products. The land was unhospitable, and it …show more content…
As expansion moved forward, farmers were able to spread out and settle on land, even if that meant pushing Native Americans out of their ancestral lands. Not only did agriculture grow, but the meatpacking district was expanded as well. Nearly 2,500,000 animals were slaughtered for meat annually, and costed less than the highest cost produce, wheat (F). This was unfair to farmers, whose produce was worth less than meat (A). Combined with the unfair rates of railroad lines, farmers were most likely to be in poverty and barely being able to pay rent. Illinois was perhaps the only state that regulated rates, which eased up pressure on farmers there