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I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.
The history of agriculture in the United States, of course, goes back to the first English settlers. In colonial America, agriculture was the primary livelihood for 90% of the population. In fact, most towns were shipping points for the export of agricultural products.
Most farms were geared toward production for the family, but the rapid growth in population and the expansion of the frontier opened up large numbers of new farms. The number of farms, in fact, grew from 1.4 million in 1850 to 4 million in 1880, 6.4 million by 1910, and then started to drop off, 5.6 million by 1950.
That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.