Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “American Agriculture History Minute”
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. From roughly the 1920s to the 1940s, harvesting corn by hand was a necessity. Today, the National Corn Husking Association keeps that tradition going the third weekend in October each year to determine who is the best corn husker. There are 12 classes from 10 to 30 minutes long that people …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Ohio State University was founded in 1870 as a land-grant university under the Morrill Act of 1862. And the name Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. Initially it was thought one of Ohio’s two existing universities. Ohio University and Miami University, would be designated as the land-grant institution. And each, in fact, …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. President Thomas Jefferson was especially eager to gain control of the crucial Mississippi River port in New Orleans. Jefferson tasked James Monroe and Robert Livingston with purchasing New Orleans. Negotiating with the French, the American representatives quickly agreed to purchase the entire territory of Louisiana after it was offered. Overcoming the …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Early settlers would learn that weather would often dictate the crops they would raise. In cooler regions, wheat was often the crop of choice when lands were newly settled, leading to a wheat frontier that continued to move west and, over now, what is the plains? Also a very common corn. …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. As with many subjects, the largest of any item is always up for debate. The largest barn in the U. S. said to be the Cooper Barn in Colby, Kansas, measuring 114 feet long, 48 feet high. The largest round barn, many agree, is the Stark Barn, near Red Cloud, Nebraska, …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. The baling of hay began with the invention of the first hay press in about 1850. Hay was baled then for easier handling, reducing space for storage and for shipment. The first bales weighed around 300 pounds because the original machines were vertical in nature. They used a horse-drawn screw press …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Agriculture continued its western movement in the early years. Farm spread from the colonies westward along with the settlers. In cooler regions, wheat was often the crop of choice when lands were newly settled, leading to a wheat frontier that eventually continued westward into what is now the plains. Also, very …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. As early settlers pushed across the Appalachians, many assumed that they continued on westward through the plains and on to California and Oregon. But many found a home in what is now Ohio. By the time European settlers established a presence in Ohio, American Indian tribes were already growing corn, soybeans, …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. The Missouri River is a big part of American agriculture history. You can imagine early settlers after finally crossing the Mississippi only to come to the Missouri as it crossed the Great Plains. And actually, the Missouri River is the longest river in the United States, starting in southwestern Montana and …
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 are land-grant universities outside the United States. The University …
