American Agriculture History

American Agriculture History Minute: Trade, Barter, Pay Taxes

DanAmerican Agriculture History Minute, Economy, This Land of Ours

American Agriculture History
DepositPhotos image

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.

As settlers moved west across the Mississippi River, great expansion continued. Early farmers planted crops that supplied their families and livestock with food. They kept a few chickens a hog or two, a cow, maybe some sheep. They cleared more land each year, grew bigger crops.

Extra wheat, corn, oats, or hogs were traded or sold. They would trade these items for things they couldn’t make on the farm, such as sugar, coffee, thread, or cotton cloth. And if these goods were sold, the money was used to buy more land or, unfortunately, pay taxes.

That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.