History of Agriculture in the US

History of Agriculture in the US: Agriculture in the United States started 10,000 years ago when settlers migrated from other countries. The United States is a very vast land consisting of valleys rocky mountains and deserts to great plains. The settlers have managed to cultivate crops suitable for each area. Today, the U.S. stands in one of the leading places where agriculture is very mechanized, through the passing years agriculture advances in the United States. Farming in the U.S. has become such a state of the art that only one farmer is required per square kilometer in the agricultural fields.

In this article, you will read about the History of agriculture in the US, from 1776 to 1990, from the traditional methods to modern agriculture.

History of Agriculture in the US

The first farmers in America were noted to be people from western and south Kentucky around 900 CE. Since then America had a lot of immigrants who started occupying the vast lands and developing them for farming. There was a fast growth of population and people immediately took to farming as their livelihood. Down the line, we observe many changes, inventions, and discoveries made in the agricultural sector.

History of American Agriculture 1776 – 1990

From the 16th century to the 19th century America’s agricultural section has grown a lot. It faced many challenges and overcame them. Here is a detailed description of the history of American agriculture in each decade:

History of Agriculture in the US Timeline 1775 – 1889

1776 – 1800

Africans were first enslaved during the 17th century and oxen and horses were used to plow the field. Sowing was done with hoe and reaping was done with sickle.

• During the 1790’s scythe was introduced into agriculture which made harvesting crops a lot easier.
• The cotton gin was first invented in 1793. This invention had a huge positive impact on the cotton industry as cotton seeds were picked more quickly and effectively by the machines.
• In 1797, the first ironclad plow was patented by Charles Newbold. His plow was a one-piece cast and farmers were afraid that the iron could affect the soil making it unfit for growing crops.

1800 – 1830

Along with the increase in crop production, there was an increase in population which led to advancement in roads and also dairy agriculture. Competition between old farmers and the new farms began and tobacco became the leading crop.

• Jethro Wood was the first successful inventor to make the iron moldboard plow with replaceable parts. This new invention was effective in plowing the stony field but could not survive the clay soils.
• During 1819 to 1925 the food canning industry was established in the U.S. Cans made out of tin plate wrought- iron are used for storing meat, fruits, vegetables and oysters.

1830’s

Until 1832 there was a huge development in transportation across the country. Railroad steam engine which was called Tom Thumb was put into function and ran 13 miles which marked the starting of the railroad era.

• One of the mind blowing inventions was in 1834 that is McCormick’s reaper. Since young Mc Cormick was always interested in inventing new tools for his father who is a farmer to help him. He then successfully invented the reaper which is a machine used to harvest crops by cutting grain.
• From this another convenient machine was invented which is the threshing machine. A threshing machine is used to separate seeds of grains from its husks. Before this threshing was done by hand which was a very long time taking process. This practical threshing machine was released in the year 1837.

1840’s

The 1840’s faced many changes across the country. This era also led to many discoveries and inventions.

• Increase in manufacture also led to increase in invention of tools which could help the farming sector a lot better. One such thing was the grain elevator.
• A steam based grain elevator was invented by Joseph Dart in the 1842 where grain was directly transported to the storage areas from a ship. Earlier this process was done by humans where the buckest were hand filled with grains and carried to the storage areas which was 10 times slower.
• Utah was mostly a deserted place and immigrants found it difficult to cultivate crops. It was then the concept of irrigation was introduced to save themselves from those harsh environments. Their main aim was to divert water from the nearby valleys to their farms and they dug the ground to construct a stream.

1850’s

In the 1850’s, it was mostly the settlement of foreigners in various parts of the U.S. Along with wheat, corn has also become a major commercial cultivating crop.

• Farming lands have grown from the Great Plains to the Rockies and also moved to the pacific coast.
• Transportation of these goods has also improved a lot over the years. In the 1850’s a lot of clipper ships were and steam ships were used for the transportation of these goods.
• In the year 1854, Daniel Halladay patented the first commercial self-governing windmill. These windmills were a major success in the farming society because they were used to pump water for the fields.
• In the year 1856, 2 horse straddle cultivators were introduced where 2 horses were used for plowing instead of one. This covers a wide area of the field at the same time while plowing which reduces the plowing time of a farmer.

1860’s

• The population kept increasing and the farming laborers were about 58%. An act was passed called the Homestead Act in the year 1862 where farmers were given 160 acres of land if they have worked in the land for 6 years.
• In 1865, the sharecropping system was introduced which benefited a lot of farm slaves. Those who were enslaved and were used as laborers for their skills and knowledge in farming were allowed to form a contract with the land owner.
• Instead of working on large farms as slaves, they were given small acres of land to cultivate and the payment method was the crop yield instead of regular rents.
  Eventually the advancement led to steam tractors which were generally used in the timber trade but then also was used in farming for other purposes.

1870’s

Two major advancements in the 1870’s was the usage of silos and deep well drilling.

• As crop production increased, farmers found it hard to store their yield. Hence silos were made which were basically basements for storage. They were usually dug in the ground or were made with wood or stone.
• To store water in the similar way of storing food in silos another storage area for water was introduced. Ground wells were dug very deep for storage of water which can be in line of immediate usage.
• Also to protect their fields from animals and others, usage of barbed wires were patented. These wires are basically steel wires with sharp edges which can’t be easily passed through.

1880’s

• No new inventions or discoveries were made in the 1880’s rather it was the time mainly for settlements and also perfecting the farming practices.
• There was a heavy settlement in the great plains and dairy farming was not started by migrants in the great plains and also humid areas were also occupied by the migrants from southeastern Europe.
• In 1882, a fungicide was discovered in France which was named Bordeau mixture and was soon brought to America by the immigrants.
• Texas became a major cotton producing state and the farmers in the pacific coast started using horse drawn plows.

1890’s

• Increase in population led immigrants to become farmers which further increased the agricultural output. This also led to a start of various diseases carried from different places.
• To help increase the quality of dairy products such as milk a test was designed which is known as the Babcock Butterfat test in the year 1890. This test soon reached across dairy farmers and was adapted by them to increase the quality.
• Fertilizers became a common use across the country which was noted to be around 1,845,900 tons per annum.
• Automobiles have also become a frequent use for various transportation purposes such as goods and also people.

History of Agriculture in the US Timeline 1900 – 1949

1900’s

The start of the new century mainly led to many advancements in transport and technologies.

• George Washington Carver, an agriculture researcher, found around 300 uses for peanuts and this effort of his was recognised by the world.
• The most famous crop which was highly in demand was the Turkey red wheat from 1900 to 1910.
• In 1904, wheat cultivators faced a huge loss in the production due to the stem rust disease. The yield turned out to be of poor quality which led to a loss in the production.
• Model T Ford played a huge role in the history of advancement of automobiles. People started to prefer automobiles over tongas as they were fast and safe.
• By the end of 1900’s, in 1909, the famous airplanes were exhibited by the Wright brothers.

1910’s

• This decade is famous for its transportation advancements. From 1910 to 1919 many automobiles were in use and road developments were also made a priority.
• Gas tractors were introduced in farming in 1910.
• By 1912, Marquis wheat was introduced and North Dakota, Kansas and Minnesota also became part of leading wheat producing states.
• Kansas became famous for its red wheat around 1917 and was made commercial throughout the country.

1920’s

• Along with transport advancements, other technologies also started to increase such as radio broadcasts. Many acts and rules were passed to protect the farmers and producing organizations.
• Perishable goods and items were traded across the country using trucks and railways.
• Interstate Commerce Commision was released in 1925 to overlook the trade ways which were done with railways.
• Cere wheat was introduced in 1926 and a company was set up to produce the breed corns.

1930’s

• This was the toughest decade of the U.S as they experienced their first recession in the country. This lasted till 1939 until there was an increase in the production again. The rate of production severely dropped and the economy also decreased gradually.
• To make matters worse, the U.S also faced the dust bowl where severe sandstorms affected the agriculture fields. Some lands were also turned into deserts making it unfit for agriculture.
• The Motor Carrier Act was passed in 1935 to legalize all passengers and different kinds of services in the automobile industry.

1940’s

• The 1940’s is known as the second American agricultural revolution. A lot of farmers changed from horse plowing to tractors. A set of new tools and methods were in use for agriculture.
• In 1941, frozen foods were introduced and they became very popular among citizens as they can be easily stored for a longer period of time.
• A war broke out; many farmers and other occupational men were sent to war and an office for defense transportation was set up to overlook the usage of transports.
• Herbicides and pesticides also came into use and they instantly were famous as they were more eco-friendly.

History of Agriculture in the US Timeline 1950 – 1990

1950’s

• The farming production has increased greatly to such a case that one framer provided around 15.5 people in the U.S. The farm laborers decreased to 12.2% because of the increase in machines.
• Since radio broadcasts were made, soon television was also starting to become a commonly used material.
• Everything has become more commercialized and usage of technology was found everywhere such as tractors, telephones and other electric items.
• People started to move to great plains more and more which caused the government officials to take action and pass a conservation program to maintain the great plains.

1960’s

• All crops were almost produced mechanically with very few farm laborers. Everything has increased greatly from population to agricultural lands to usage of fertilizers.
• Soybean was used as an alternate crop for production which provided great profits to farmers and soybean farms were expanded.
• In 1962, the government decided to provide farming education for farmers to help them produce a good quality of yield.
• Around 99% of sugar and 96% of hybrid corn and 96% cotton were cultivated mechanically.
• By the end of 1968, almost all farms had electricity.

1970’s

• No tillage agriculture was introduced in the 1970 where the fields were not tilled to avoid soil erosion. By not tilling the fields the water that penetrates the soil increases the fertility of the soil.
• As most of the farmers across the country opted to grow the same kind of crops for profits, Plant Variety Protection Act was introduced in the 1970 which enables the farmers to practice cultivation of different crops.
• In 1975, Lancota wheat was produced and was famous across the country and by 1979 another variety of wheat was produced known as the Purcell winter wheat.

1980’s

• No tillage agriculture became more famous and more and more farmers started to use this technique to save their soil.
• Trucks and railways faced problems which decreased the transportation of goods. Due to this many farmers faced a debt and decrease in their production.
• The agricultural land values had decreased drastically and farmers faced a lot of hard time.
• By the end 1990, the total population of America was recorded to be 246,081,000.

New Agriculture Technology in Modern Farming – Agriculture in the US

As the years passed many latest technologies are made available to the farmers to help them increase their production level. Here are our top 2 latest technologies:

• Precision Agriculture: In simple words this technology makes use of different AI systems which helps the farmer to track his crops. He can check the wellbeing of his crops, farm, soil and animals and provide the necessary for his field.
• Drones: Also known as the remote monitoring helps farmers to visually keep track of his field. He can also check the temperature of his soil and can perform various aspects to increase the yield.

Federal and State Support for Agriculture

The U.S has around 5 major pacts which helps the farmers in the country under different circumstances.

1. Farm Production and Conservation
2. Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
3. Food Safety
4. Marketing and Regulatory Programs
5. Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs

Role of Agriculture in The US Economy

The agricultural sector in the U.S has contributed over trillion dollars GDP for the United States. It also contributes to increase in employment and growth of the country. As the country’s population is growing rapidly, the demand for food also increases which leads to increase in production. Many people opt to work in the agricultural sector as it is a main contributor to the U.S economy.

Summary – History of Agriculture in the US

Agriculture in the United States has a rich history spanning 10,000 years, beginning with settlers cultivating diverse crops in the country’s vast and varied landscapes. Over the centuries, advancements in technology and farming practices have transformed American agriculture into a highly mechanized and efficient industry. The timeline from 1776 to 1990 reflects significant milestones, including the introduction of tools like the cotton gin and reaper, the establishment of food canning in the 19th century, and the challenges faced during the Dust Bowl and recession in the 1930s. The 20th century saw a second agricultural revolution, marked by the widespread use of tractors, introduction of frozen foods, and technological innovations. In recent times, precision agriculture and drone technology have further revolutionized farming practices. The agricultural sector plays a vital role in the U.S. economy, contributing trillions to the GDP and providing employment. Federal and state support programs, along with technological advancements, continue to shape the trajectory of American agriculture, meeting the growing demand for food in the country.

FAQs on History of Agriculture in the US

1. How did agriculture start in America?

10,000 years ago during the 16th century, many people from European countries migrated to America and started cultivating a variety of crops on the vast fertile lands. The first agricultural land to be cultivated was noted in the year 1776.

2. What was the first crop in America?

The first crop that was harvested which was noted in the history was by Mexicans is corn or maize.

3. What vegetables originated in America?

The first crop that was cultivated was corn. Other vegetables that the U.S gave rise to are avocados, potatoes, peppers and many more.

4. Who were the first farmers in America?

People from Western and South Kentucky were noted to be the first people in America to start farming around 900 CE.