Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “This Land of Ours”
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute discusses farmland values having 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 …
Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute relates that 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 …
Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute explains how President Thomas Jefferson believed in the future of agriculture. In fact, he believed it to be the cornerstone to the success of the country’s new independence. It has been said Jefferson gave Meriwether Lewis specific instructions in the summer of 1803 before he and William Clark set out on their 1804 …
Mark Oppold with an American agriculture history minute tells us how any modern traveler now retracing the steps of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark after they left the Missouri River and proceeded west would likely wonder how areas of the Dakotas, Montana, and Idaho could ever be agriculturally productive. After all, President Thomas Jefferson gave specific instructions to the two that …
Mark Oppold with an American agriculture history minute explains how a small chemical manufacturing company opened its doors in 1957 in West Helena, Arkansas, near the Mississippi River south of Memphis. Today, the company is headquartered just outside Memphis and known as Helena Agri-Enterprises and is one of the largest contract chemical manufacturers in the country, providing formulations and packaging …
Mark Oppold with an American agriculture history minute explains that there were a lot of agricultural discoveries in the travels of Lewis and Clark, not just discovering new lands. Historians note that as the expedition journeyed up the Missouri River in search of the Northwest Passage, members of the expedition took careful notes on agricultural practices they encountered. Native American …
Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History Minute, describing the challenging conditions of rural life in the mid-1930s, noting that 90% of rural homes lacked electricity. Farmers had to perform tasks like milking cows by hand using kerosene lamps, and families relied on basic wood-range washboards for domestic chores. Mark further explains how the lack of electricity significantly impacted rural …
Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History Minute, explains that the story of rural electrification began during the 1932 presidential campaign when Democratic nominee Franklin Roosevelt toured the South. During this tour, Roosevelt was deeply affected by witnessing the widespread poverty and sanitation issues in rural areas. Mark describes how Roosevelt believed that bringing electricity to rural areas would be …
Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History Minute, focuses on the historical development of rural electrification in America during the Roosevelt administration. Mark explains that when President Roosevelt took office in 1933, the initiative to provide electricity to rural America gained significant momentum. Mark further details that on May 11, 1935, President Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) through …
Mark Oppold presents an American agriculture history minute, discussing the evolution of electrification in America during the early 1900s. He highlights how electric power transformed from a luxury to an essential utility in urban areas by the 1920s, with more than half of urban homes having electric lights and appliances. Mark then contrasts this urban development with rural conditions, noting …
