Out of everything that changed agriculture, the increasing economic difficulty was arguably the most powerful. With so many farms, the amount of produce rose while the prices of produce fell, in some cases, like with Cotton, prices fell over ⅛ of the original price (Doc A). Because of the extremely low prices, as low as 10 cents in some places, some farmers did not make enough to survive and promptly went out of business. Even with groups like the the Farmer's Alliance defending smaller farmers by pooling together resources and money in
Farmers of the late 19th century faced several struggles as they attempted to feed themselves and a growing nation. Though they were undeniably crucial to the country, the country often abandoned them to fend against their problems themselves. These desertments lead to the creation of several movements, such as The Grange, and of political parties such as the Populists. The challenges of American farmers were often intertwined and difficult to get to one cause of the problem. Increasing railroad use and inflated prices hurt the farmers tremendously, which then lead to widespread debt and the cry for silver to be used in the money standard, which then resulted in overproduction of goods to try to overcompensate for the burgeoning debt, but only made it worse.
Farm technology made a lot of progress from 1890-1920. Before this time, all the farming was done by hand. There were many inventions from wire to tractors to help make farming easier. Three inventions that really changed farming were gas tractors, cream separator and horse drawn combine. Gas tractors were created so that you didn’t have to use your horses so much and so you could pull more.
(Document G) Furthermore, the period brought about significant changes in American agriculture, with technological advancements, government policies, and economic shifts reshaping the farming industry. As outlined in the document, farmers found themselves disillusioned with the political rhetoric that promised prosperity through hard work and increased production. Instead, they were met with the harsh reality of plummeting prices for their crops and livestock, leading to financial hardship and a sense of betrayal by the very politicians who claimed to have their best interests at heart. The stark contrast between the promises of a bountiful harvest and the harsh economic conditions faced by farmers highlighted the disconnect between government policies and the lived experiences of those working the land.
Following the Stock Market Crash in 1929, Canada and the rest of the world reached all time low economic statuses. Farmers occupied Canada’s Prairies at the time predominantly
Without wheat to sell, (due to the locusts) how would the Ingalls family get through the bitter winter?” This shows the locusts no only damaged farms physically but their actions also damaged farms financially. The article explains how farmers in the
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.
Which the farmers were not making any expense, so they grew more crops than before, and that made things worse. In which it led farmers into a big debt and problems. One of them was the tariff policies during the Gilded Age. Farmers were the victims and were forced to buy manufactured goods to be protected by tariff legislation. But what they produce was not protective and more competitive markets soon to rise of over supplies and foreign competition.
During the Dust Bowl some people made the decision to stay at their farms. Huge drifts of dirt piled up on homesteaders’ doors, came in the cracks of windows and came down from the ceilings. Barnyards and pastures were buried in dirt. After about 850 million tons of topsoil was blown away in 1935 alone. The government responded to this by saying “Unless something is done, the western plains will be as arid as the Arabian desert.”
In the 1890-1920 farmers faced falling prices. Many farmers faced debt and foreclosure. Works faced tactics that led to defeat. That’s just a few things that lead to these other issues I’m going to talk about throughout these next few paragraphs. I’m going to talk about how they happened and how they changed.
People were living off of their crops, and suddenly their crops were damaged and destroyed. “Although records focus on
There were major rising wheat prices in the 1910s through 1920s and increased demand for wheat from Europe during World War I which encouraged farmers to plow up millions of acres of native grassland to plant wheat, corn and other row crops. But as the United States started to enter the Great Depression, wheat prices plummeted. Farmers tore up even more grassland in attempt to harvest a "bumper crop and break even." "Dust Bowl." History.com, 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl.
Most farmers struggled to make a living due to key issues. There was often a high tax on railroads which had cut a large profit from the farmers. The farmers had no other option other than the railroad since the farmers were often very far off westward in the Great Plains, while the market with a large population was still in eastern cities like New York. Likewise farmers had to pay a middle man in the East to sell their commodities in the East, because the poor farmers were unable to travel all the way to the East to sell their products then come back to start farming for the next year. Surprisingly, farmers were often detrimental to themselves due to
“Dry land farming on the Great Plains led to the systematic destruction of the prairie grasses. In the ranching regions, overgrazing also destroyed large areas of grassland. Gradually, the land was laid bare, and significant environmental
Nature’s delicate balance of wind, rain, and grass had been disturbed by human settlement. Fifty years earlier, a strong protective carpet of grass had covered the Great Plains. The grass held moisture in the soil and kept the soil from blowing away (Holley).” Before the Great Plains were settled, its geography was covered in lush grasses that made it perfect for farming and raising livestock. As the population grew and more and more people settled there, the grass was removed so that they could farm the land.
