american

America’s Biggest Farm Boom: 1860–1910

Dan Agri-Business, American Agriculture History Minute, Economy, This Land of Ours

A Half-Century That Transformed American Agriculture From the Civil War era to the early 20th century, the United States experienced the most dramatic growth in agricultural development in its history. As Mark Oppold explains in his American Agriculture History Minute, the 50-year span between 1860 and 1910 reshaped the nation’s farming economy, population distribution, and land value in profound ways. …

radio

How Radio Transformed American Agriculture History

Dan American Agriculture History Minute, This Land of Ours

The Power of Radio in Rural America Radio is one of the most influential innovations in the history of American agriculture. In the early 20th century, long before the rise of television or digital platforms, radio served as the lifeline connecting farmers to the information they needed most. From market prices to weather forecasts, radio broadcasting became the central communication …

early settlers

Farming the Frontier: How Early Settlers Built America

Dan American Agriculture History Minute, This Land of Ours

Life Beyond the Mississippi As settlers moved west across the Mississippi River in the 19th century, they carried with them not only their hopes for a new beginning but also the foundation of American agriculture. This westward migration marked a period of great expansion, where families carved out farms from untamed land and built livelihoods centered on self-reliance and hard …

mid-Atlantic

How Wheat Transformed Mid-Atlantic Farming Before the American Revolution

Dan American Agriculture History Minute, Field Crops, This Land of Ours, Wheat

Early Colonial Agriculture and Trade Before 1720, most colonists in the mid-Atlantic region lived through small-scale farming operations that provided both sustenance and a modest income. These family farms were the foundation of early American agriculture, producing enough to feed local communities and export surpluses. To pay for imported manufactured goods from Europe, mid-Atlantic farmers supplied the West Indies with …