2.10 Developments in Agriculture Flashcards
What was the significance of agricultural production in the US economy?
- US was a world leader in the production of wheat, corn, and other grains
-Cotton was still the foundation of the economy in the South
What event worsened the problems in agriculture and why?
The years of depression following the 1893 Panic as small farmers faced difficult economic conditions, with falling prices for what they produced and a shortage of credit
What were farmers dependent on the railroad companies and banks for?
Seed, livestock, equipment, and fertilisers
What was the impact of farmers dependence on banks and railroad companies?
Small farmers were more vulnerable to market forces beyond their control
How did the lives of black and white farmers in the South differ?
- Promises to empower black farmers in a new age of land and freedom was not fulfilled
- Few African Americans became independent farmers, but most were sharecroppers
- Small white farmers were only a little better off, struggling to raise the finance needed to invest in improved methods
Where did farmers move during this time?
In the late 1880s and the 1890s, there was a huge expansion of farm settlement in states such as Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma , and Colorado. Thousands of new farms and homesteads covered these territories
How did banking and credit contribute to the failures of the land rush?
- The early land rush was fuelled by readily available easy credit
- Loans from banks were unrealistic expectations of farmers ability to repay them
- When the credit boom ended, many farmers went into debt and couldn’t repay loans
- Intensified by 1893 Panic
How did the climate contribute to the failures of the land rush?
- There was unusually high rainfall in the 1880s when the land rush began, leaving fertile and productive land
- Climate returned to normal after 1887
- Vulnerable to drought and wind erosion
- Many farmers were left bankrupt and were forced to move back East
What political affiliations were farmers drawn towards and why?
Populism as it promised to help them out with the debt they were in. Many joined into Farmers’ Alliances that led to the Populist Party that ran in the 1896 election
Why did agriculture improve from 1900?
- Expanding domestic economy boosted the demand for agricultural production
- Modernisation and mechanisation
- Federal government
What federal intervention after 1900 improved agricultural production?
Reclamation Act of 1902 - helped irrigation schemes (getting water to land)
Meat Inspection Act of 1906 - regulated food quality
Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916
What evidence is there of a ‘golden age’ in American agriculture?
A boom in the output of wheat and corn
How did WW1 impact agricultural production?
- Damaged the output of America’s international competitors
- Many farmers were able to buy more land, knowing they would secure good prices for the crops that produced
What was the reality behind the agricultural boom during WW1?
Demand dropped again once international markets recovered after the first world war
