I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Soybeans were not widely cultivated in the U.S. until the early 1930s, but by 1942, the U.S. became the world’s largest …
American Agriculture History Minute: First Grain Powered Grain Elevator Developed
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Joseph Dart is part of American agriculture history. Though born in Connecticut, he soon moved to Buffalo, New York and it …
American Agriculture History Minute: Conservation to Control Flood Waters Begins
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. In 1885, Harriet Strong made a study about the shortage of water in Nevada, including control of floodwaters and water storage. …
American Agriculture History Minute: Wheat Production Grows with the Railroad
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Wheat production grew as new railroads connected farms and markets. In between 1875 and 1890, bonanza farms, as they were called, …
American Agriculture History Minute: Midlings Purifier Installed for Wheat Growers
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Early settlers in Minnesota soon discovered they could not grow the same variety of wheat as their counterparts in Nebraska and …
American Agriculture History Minute: National Road Developed
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. It was called the National Road. No, not Route 66. That would come nearly 100 years later. This National Road, built …
American Agriculture History Minute: Ohio Early Corn Production Leader
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Once early settlers crossed the Appalachians, many had had enough of that kind of rough travel and settled in what is …
American Agriculture History Minute: Ohio Canal Commission Established
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. In 1820, Ohio Governor Ethan Brown established the Ohio Canal Commission, the purpose of surveying a route for a canal that …
American Agriculture History Minute: Ohio, Early Agriculture Capital
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Ohio was considered the early agricultural capital of the U.S. in the early 1800s as western expansion continued. Many settlers, after …
American Agriculture History Minute: Livestock Changes the Land
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. …
American Agriculture History Minute: Looking at New Mexico Diverse Agriculture
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. When considering top agricultural states in the country, New Mexico most likely doesn’t come to mind. But New Mexico is often …
American Agriculture History Minute: Early Colonists Learned the Hard Way About Soil Stewardship
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Early colonists had to learn the hard way about soil stewardship. The practices associated with keeping livestock also contributed to deterioration …
American Agriculture History Minute: Barns, a Testament to America’s Agriculture History
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Barns differ in size and shape, and many still stand as a testament to America’s agriculture history. One of the largest …
American Agriculture History Minute: Growing Was One Thing, Harvesting Was Another
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Growing corn was one thing in American agriculture history, but harvesting it, certainly another. Imagine doing the job by hand. No …