New Deal - Agriculture - FATRR

Question 1

Farm Credit Act

Answer 1

March 1933

• Created large government body by merging previous agricultural agencies into one.
• Emergency farm mortgage act loaned funds to farmers in danger of losing their properties.
• Frazier-Lemke Mortgage act of June lent money to farmers whose lands had been repossessed so they could recover them, interest only at 1%.

Question 2

Agricultural Adjustment Act

Answer 2

• Paid farmers to reduce production of “staple” items, such as corn cotton and wheat.
• Paid farmers to burn and plough over cotton fields. 10.5 million acres were ploughed under, and price of cotton rose from 6.5 cents a pound in 1932 -> 10 cents in 1933.
• 6 million piglets bought and slaughtered, often without being eaten, both which caused outrage.
• Farm income rose from $4.5 Billion in 1932 -> $6.9 Billion in 1935.
• Act was very popular amongst farmers, e.g 95% of tobacco farmers signed up.
• Worked effectively against overproduction

Question 3

Tennessee Valley Authority

Answer 3

May 1933

• Constructed 20 huge dams to control floods and provide electricity.
• Encouraged ecological schemes to prevent soil erosion
• New techniques to improve efficiency such as contour ploughing
• Average income rose 200% from 1929 to 1949.
• Appeased southern conservative democrats.

Question 4

Rural Electrification Act

Answer 4

May 1935
-1936 12.6% farms had electricity
-1941 35% farms had electricity
348,000 miles of transmission lines built in 6 years.
-Most bankers deemed it unprofitable to build these power lines in rural areas.

Question 5

Resettlement Administration

Answer 5

May 1935
- Plan was to move 500,000 families from overworked land and resettle them into promising lands elsewhere.
- Envisioned greenbelt communities, only 3 were ever completed,
-Greenbelt Maryland,
-Greenville Ohio
-Greendale Wisconsin.
Overall only ever resettled 4441 families because people didn’t want to move. There was a lack of new communities
-Discriminated against blacks