I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.
During the Civil War, wheat prices were higher. Many producers planted more wheat. With the end of the war, the bottom dropped out of wheat prices, and in older fields, wheat yields grew poor. Pests like grasshoppers, cinch bugs attacked the wheat, destroying whole crops in some cases.
For many producers, it was a signal to put their energy into corn and livestock, and they realized they could make more money on corn, particularly when faced with competition as wheat continued to expand Nebraska, Kansas, and beyond.
That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.
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