American Agriculture History Minute: Trade, Barter, Pay Taxes

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.

As settlers moved west across the Mississippi River, great expansion continued. Early farmers planted crops that supplied their families and livestock with food. They kept a few chickens a hog or two, a cow, maybe some sheep. They cleared more land each year, grew bigger crops.

Extra wheat, corn, oats, or hogs were traded or sold. They would trade these items for things they couldn’t make on the farm, such as sugar, coffee, thread, or cotton cloth. And if these goods were sold, the money was used to buy more land or, unfortunately, pay taxes.

That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.