Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “This Land of Ours”
Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History Minute, highlighting the significant transformation in rural American life during the 1930s. Mark notes that before 1930, over 90% of rural homes relied on kerosene lamps for lighting, and basic amenities like running water and indoor bathrooms were impossible without electricity. Mark also describes the momentous occasion known as ‘zero-hour’ when electricity finally reached …
Mark Oppold presents an American agriculture history minute, revealing that Oregon is known as the grass seed capital of the world, leading the nation in both grass seed and hazelnut production. The state’s agricultural profile is notably diverse compared to other West Coast states. Mark highlights Oregon’s consistent top performance in various agricultural products, including Christmas trees, onions, sweet berries, …
Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History minute, focusing on the origins of Valley Irrigation. In 1946, Robert Doherty identified an opportunity in a small manufacturing company near Valley, Nebraska. He invested his life savings of $5,000 in Valley Manufacturing, which initially focused on farm elevators. A significant development occurred when Frank Ziebach created a prototype for a center pivot irrigation …
Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History minute, focusing on the history of the Garst and Thomas Hybrid Corn Company. The story begins in 1931 when Roswell Garst and Charlie Thomas founded their company in Coon Rapids, Iowa. The company played a crucial role in promoting hybrid corn adoption during that era. A significant milestone occurred in 1959 when Roswell …
Mark Oppold presents an American agriculture history minute focuses on Eugene Funk, grandson of Isaac Funk, who was one of McLean County, Illinois’ pioneering settlers and renowned livestock producers. Eugene’s family background in successful livestock operations influenced their interest in corn improvement. Mark details Eugene’s educational journey, including three years of scientific studies at Yale and a year in Europe. …
Mark Oppold presents an American Agriculture History Minute, focusing on the agricultural history of Colorado. Mark Oppold describes how early settlers discovered Native Americans practicing the Three Sisters farming method, growing corn, soybeans, and squash in the Colorado territory. Mark further explains that the Arkansas River served as a boundary between Mexican and U.S. territories, with Spanish-speaking settlers establishing irrigated …
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. In 1906, Elias Ammons was president of the Colorado Cattle and Horse Growers Association, later served as governor of Colorado. George Ballantyne was general manager of the Denver Union Stockyard Company, and Fred Johnson was publisher of the record Stockman. These three men in 1906 put together what would become the …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. The National Western Stock Show in Denver began in 1906. The horse show now among the largest in the world, more than 18,000 entries. National Western Rodeo, considered one of the largest indoor rodeos and has won honors from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and additionally Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Agriculture in what is now Colorado began taking shape in the early 1850s. Then Rocky Mountain News founder William N. Byers passed out seeds to make his newspaper “the principal chronicle of early farming in Colorado”. By the 1870s Byers facilitated the colony of Greeley, Colorado’s first major agricultural settlement and …
