From an Iowa Teenager to a Pioneer in Corn Breeding Long before hybrid seed corn transformed American agriculture, Henry A. Wallace was already experimenting with ways to help farmers produce …
Smith-Lever Act Created USDA Extension Service in 1914
A New Era of Agricultural Education More than a century ago, the United States took a major step toward connecting agricultural research with the farmers who needed it most. The …
Henry A. Wallace: More Than the Father of Hybrid Corn
Henry A. Wallace is widely remembered as a pioneering figure in American agriculture and as the father of hybrid seed corn. His work helped transform corn production and eventually led …
Louis B. Schmidt Helped Put Agriculture in the History Books
The Farmers Who Helped Build America As American farm families moved westward and settled the nation’s heartland, they were doing more than establishing farms and communities. Their experiences were becoming …
George Grant and the Four Bulls That Started Angus in America
A Scottish Vision Comes to the Kansas Prairie In 1873, Scottish cattleman George Grant arrived in Kansas with a bold vision for American agriculture. Grant came from Scotland as part …
From Horsepower to Tractor Power: A Slow Farm Revolution
The Long Transition to Tractor Power The shift from horsepower to tractor power transformed American agriculture, but it was far from an overnight change. For generations, farmers depended on horses …
How Agriculture Shaped America’s New Nation
From Founding Leaders to Scientific Agriculture America’s early leaders were not only influential figures in the formation of the new nation—they were also accomplished farmers. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson …
George Grant and the Early Rise of Angus Cattle in America
American Agriculture History Minute In 1873, Scottish Angus cattle made an important early appearance in the United States when George Grant brought four Angus bulls from Scotland to Victoria, Kansas. …
British Agricultural Revolution Helped Shape Modern Farming
The Beginning of Modern Farming What we consider modern farming in the United States can trace many of its practices and innovations back to the agricultural changes that took place …
USDA: From Lincoln’s “People’s Department” to a Modern Agriculture Agency
The Birth of the U.S. Department of Agriculture The history of American agriculture is closely connected to the history of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which was established …
California Agricultural Leadership Foundation Selects 24 Fellows for Class 56
The California Agricultural Leadership Foundation has selected 24 participants for Class 56 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, bringing together agricultural professionals from across the state for a 17-month leadership development …
Native American Agriculture Predates European Colonization
The Agricultural Roots of Early America Long before European colonists arrived in North America, Indigenous peoples were developing sophisticated ways to obtain food from the land. While agricultural practices varied …
USDA and the Birth of America’s Land-Grant Universities
The Agricultural Roots of American Higher Education The history of American agriculture is closely connected to the development of higher education, and two major milestones came in 1862: the establishment …
Land-Grant Universities Transform American Agriculture
The Morrill Act of 1862 Creates a New Educational Model The history of American agriculture is closely connected to the development of the nation’s land-grant universities. In 1862, the First …