Growth Of Farming In America, 1865-1900.

thank you in 1865 one out of every two working Americans was employed on a farm contemporary artists pictured farming as a pleasant Carefree life [Music] but there was a more realistic side to this romanticized view of farming for instance in the south weary Confederate soldiers were returning to land and homes neglected during the years of war and a different economic place on the land had to be found for the former slaves in the west Farmers brought their families and few belongings to the empty immensity of the Great Plains here they built their crude homesteads and brought in their first crops the realistic picture of farming almost anywhere in the United States was that it was a hard way to earn a very modest living by 1900 only one out of every three working Americans was employed on a farm there were several reasons for this among them were fluctuating Farm prices the rising costs of farming the shortage of bank credit and the railroads following the Civil War the railroads had appeared to benefit the farmer in the East they had linked the Farms with the expanding cities here there was a growing Urban Market for dairy products fruits and vegetables that brought profit to the farmer in the west the railroads had penetrated the frontier crossing the Great Plains and Hauling wheat from the Farms and beef from the ranches to the Eastern cities in the South cotton and tobacco were valuable cash crops increasingly shipped by rail so the distribution of farm products to Urban markets had been helped by the railroads but often at Great cost in certain areas shipping rates were high in relation to the market value of the farm products High rates might also be charged for the use of grain elevators stock pins and other railroad storage facilities then too there were other costs which made farming and expensive business prices quoted in mail-order catalogs of the time show that the cost of household implements clothing and farm equipment was high in some periods in relation to prices for farm products since cash was generally scarce the farmer often bought the store Goods he needed on credit and credit rates for Farmers like those for other small businessmen were high so were interest rates on bank loans to the banker came the farmer often with had in hand to borrow money to buy machinery and to pay his land taxes besides coping with such economic pressures the farmer despite his hard work was also at the mercy of the forces of nature at any time killing drought devastating flood or hordes of insects that he tried to beat out of his Fields might destroy his entire investment on the other hand when Farmers had good crops they might not be better off for then farm products flooded the city markets at home and abroad and food prices fell even so farmers tended to be optimistic about their future many mortgaged their Farms to buy more land more seed and more equipment to raise larger crops they hope that crops even at lower prices would bring enough income to pay their debts but when large crops gluttered the market commodity prices dropped further for the farmer it was a vicious economic Circle in Washington D.C during the late 19th century the federal government did little to relieve the economic pressures on the farmer the Department of Agriculture part of the executive branch was unable to solve Farm Problems by legislation however a clerk in the department Oliver H Kelly eventually put the farmer into politics by proposing the Grange or more formally the patrons of husbandry this was primarily a social Organization for farmers and their families by 1874 the movement claimed about 750 000 Farm family members Grange meetings took on a more practical aspect as the Grangers organized to pool their resources to cut farming costs members were urged to get the benefit of wholesale prices through Cooperative buying of their farm supplies and machinery several granges did establish and finance Cooperative Creameries grain elevators and warehouses and Cooperative Banks in the middle west especially the Grange entered politics sponsoring candidates to represent Farmers interest in state legislatures such legislators helped pass the so-called Granger laws of the early 1870s these attempted to regulate railroad transport rates that often contributed to the high cost of farming these laws were revoked however when the United States Supreme Court declared the Granger laws unconstitutional in 1886. unsuccessful in the federal courts Farm legislators also failed to get the federal government to increase the amount of money in circulation broadly speaking the money situation was this in an effort to lower the high prices and national debt of the post-civil War years mints were coining only that money which the government could back with gold this hard money policy was intended to stabilize prices and costs at lower levels the money was to be backed by gold but some Farmers wanted more money in circulation such as the paper greenbacks issued without gold backing during the Civil War or money based not on gold alone but also on Silver then coming into larger Supply hopefully this soft money policy would put more money in circulation and bring Rising prices for farm products those businessmen and bankers who opposed soft money generally believed that their investments in factories and land equipment and raw materials would decrease in value if cheap silver money were put into circulation by 1892 the issue of soft money had become a rallying cry for a new political party The People's Party or populists listen to Ignatius Donnelly a populist leader of Minnesota talk about governmental money policy governmental injustices are breeding two great classes Tramps and millionaires and to Mary lease of Kansas we went to work and plowed and planted nature smiled and we raised the big crop they told us to and what became of it eight Cent corn Cent oats two cent beef the people are at Bay Let The Bloodhounds of money who have dogged us thus far beware but the populist presidential candidate in 1892 James B Weaver was defeated by Democrat Grover Cleveland a champion of hard money next a severe business depression caused widespread unemployment in industry and a slump in prices by 1896 even the Democrats were persuaded to Champion the cause of soft money at their Chicago presidential convention among the Nebraska delegates was a staunch supporter of soft money William Jennings Bryan made a speech that posed the money question and the farmer's need for cash as leading issues may tell us that the great cities are in favor of the gold standard we reply that the great cities rest upon our Broad and fertile prairies burn down your cities and leave our farms and your cities will spring up again but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country we will answer the demand for our gold standard by saying you shall not press down upon the brow of Labor this crown of thorns you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold [Applause] pandemonium followed the speech and Brian was assured the Democratic as well as the populist presidential nomination after a bitter hard-fought campaign Brian was unable to capture even many parts of the Agricultural middle west he lost the election to Republican William McKinley an Enthusiast for hard money the election was followed by a period of prosperity for both Agriculture and Industry between 1890 and 1910 city populations increased by nearly 20 million by 1910 the farm population was actually declining the city people meanwhile created booming markets Urban dwellers had to be clothed and fed after 1900 the demand for farm products was growing more rapidly than their supply and commodity prices Rose also industry was producing cheaper manufactured goods for all the population including farmers they were benefiting from motor driven equipment that would help gain higher yields per acre scientific methods of farming would be studied at the land grant colleges established through the moral Act of 1862 and agricultural experiment stations federally subsidized by the Hatch Act of 1887. new methods and machinery and expanding domestic markets would eventually lead to an improved level of living for those Americans who continued to live and work on Farm so as the 20th century began Science and Technology helped Farmers combat many of the earlier hazards and natural limitations on their business Enterprise foreign seeds and breeds helped increase the yields of crops and animals with lower inputs of farm labor but despite technological progress and easier conditions of Life on farms economic problems would continue [Music] in particular the imbalance of supply and demand would affect American farmers for decades to come laughs [Music] [Music]