American Agriculture History Minute: Beginning of Land Stewardship

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

Significant areas of farmland were abandoned during the Great Depression and incorporated into national forests. And that began more land stewardship with farmers and ranchers, and, reversed a decades-long trend of destruction of land that really can be traced to 1942. When farmers and ranchers were encouraged to plant all possible land in support of the war effort. 

The United States and federal programs were then administered through the Soil and Water Conservation District, providing technical assistance and funding to farmers to help in their soil stewardship.

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