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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. Farmland values have always been part of American agriculture history. Recent stories indicate that farmland values in some areas of the country are leveling off or even declining. But, in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Such was the case for this farm in October 2024, 90 acres, 20 …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. One-room schoolhouses are a part of American agriculture history. Early settlers knew the importance of education, and since a large portion of the population lived in small rural communities or isolated rural areas, local one-room schools were the answer, often built by nearby farmers. In fact, most of the teachers early …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Ethnicity certainly has made a difference in agriculture history in the United States. German Americans brought with them practices and traditions that were quite different from those of the English and Scottish farmers. They adapted old world techniques to a much more abundant land supply than they had. For example, they …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. When one thinks of inventions that change the face of American agriculture, things like the steam engine, threshing machine, the cotton gin, and moldboard plow come to mind. But high on that list, and one that many times slips by our memories, fertilizer. The actual history of fertilizer likely goes back …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Once early settlers navigated the rough Appalachian Mountains, they found vast stretches of undeveloped land in what is now central and western Tennessee. The early settlers often received land grants for military service. Standard grants came in the form of 640-acre blocks. Even today, a gift of 640 acres seems generous, …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Early settlers relied on friends and close neighbors for information on practices that would improve their production. Neighbors of course provided the most immediate information as letters from the east took weeks or longer to reach what is now the Midwest and Plains. Congressional passage of the Morrill Act in 1862 …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. French settlers arrived at what is now St. Louis in the early 1700s. They remained on the east bank of the Mississippi until about 1750 when a new settlement, Ste. Geneviève, Missouri, across the river was constructed. Though in present day Missouri, the settlement at the time was still thought to …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Missouri was nationally known for the quality and quantity of its mules. The state produced a superior breed of mules. Some were used on the western trails. Larger number were used on southern plantations. The industry provided a full-time livelihood for a few traders and feeders, but it supplemented the income …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Missouri has a proud agricultural tradition. In fact, the statue adorning the dome of the state capitol in Jefferson City, often mistaken as Lady Liberty, is actually Ceres, goddess of growing vegetation. The first farms in Missouri were established around 1725 by French settlers near St. Louis and of course the …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Between the Civil War and the end of World War II, the Midwest transitioned from a rural economy to an industrial agricultural economy as the Midwest rapidly industrialized. The expansion of railroads to the west transformed Kansas City into a major transportation hub. The growth of the Texas cattle industry along …
