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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Features”
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Roswell Garst and Charlie Thomas founded the Garst and Thomas Hybrid Corn Company in Coon Rapids, Iowa in 1931. The company was instrumental in promoting the use of hybrid corn at the time, and they gained international fame and attention during the Cold War, when Roswell Garst hosted Russian premier Nikita …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Eugene Funk was the grandson of Isaac Funk, one of McLean County, Illinois’ earliest settlers and arguably the best livestock producer in the area at the time. The Funk’s success in livestock led them to consider how they might achieve similar advances in corn. Eugene studied science for three years at …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. When early settlers arrived in what is now the state of Colorado, they found Native Americans growing what is called the three sisters, corn, soybeans, and squash. The Arkansas River marked the boundary between Mexican and U. S. territories at the time, and Spanish-speaking immigrants settled along the southern routes and …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Brothers Charles and Newton Butler founded Butler Manufacturing Company in Kansas City, 1901. The two worked together on building an improved livestock watering tank. And, during the early 1900s, the men designed and built several agricultural products, particularly grain storage bins. The company enjoyed success selling the merchandise and by 1908, …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Kansas State University, originally named Kansas State Agricultural College, was founded in Manhattan February 16, 1863, during the American Civil War. It was a land-grant institution under the Morrill Act. In fact, the school was the first land-grant college under the Morrill Act. The effort to establish the school actually began …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Land -grant universities exist in nearly every state as a result of the Morrill Act of 1862. And when we think of land-grant universities, often universities like Iowa State, Kansas State, the Ohio State, Michigan State, or others come to mind. But there is land-grant universities outside the United States. The …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. In 1856, the Iowa General Assembly enacted legislation to establish the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm. This institution is now Iowa State University and officially established March 1858. Story County and Ames was chosen as the location in June 1859. The original farm consisted of 648 acres and purchased for …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. In July 1921, 320 cooperative creameries merged in St. Paul, Minnesota to become the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. Their aim was to improve the quality of their butter and improve marketing. The quality of the butter did improve and the marketing team decided to have a contest to name the improved …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. The most dramatic expansion in American agriculture took place over a 50-year period from 1860 to 1910. The number of farms tripled from 2 million in 1860 to 6 million by 1906. The number of people living on farms grew about 10 million in 1860 to 22 million in 1880 and …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. In the 1860s, when many men marched off to the Civil War, many farms were left to the care of women, children, and older farmers. New machinery made it possible for them to produce food to support their families and support the armies. Women kept up their usual washing, cooking, and …
