I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.
Colonists had more access to land in the U.S. than they did in Europe, but the acquisition came with some problems. European agricultural practices greatly affected the landscape.
Colonists brought livestock over from Europe, which caused many changes in the land. Grazing animals required a lot of land and food, and the act of grazing itself destroyed a lot of native grasses in those early years, which were being replaced by European species of grasses. The new species, and weeds included, were introduced in those early years and began to thrive as they were capable of withstanding the grazing of animals whereas native species could not. That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.