I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.
Ethnicity certainly has made a difference in agriculture history in the United States. German Americans brought with them practices and traditions that were quite different from those of the English and Scottish farmers.
They adapted old world techniques to a much more abundant land supply than they had. For example, they generally preferred oxen to horses for plowing. Furthermore, the Germans showed a long-term tendency to keep the farm in the family and avoid having their children move to towns. The Scottish and Irish built their livelihoods on sun farming, but more herding hogs and cattle.
That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.