…highlights is the Organic Grower of the Year competition, now expanded to a national level. Four finalists represent a diverse range of organic operations: one from California, one from Arizona,…
Inside the AgNet News Hour: Meat Markets, Organic Innovation, and the Future of Farming
…embrace new efficiencies—and events like OGS help equip them for that transition. Industry Conversations Continue at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention After the interview concludes, the show returns…
America’s Biggest Farm Boom: 1860–1910
…For decades, nearly one-third of the U.S. population lived and worked on farms, producing the food and raw materials that drove national economic expansion. Farmland Value Skyrockets Economic growth paralleled…
Women Farmers of the Civil War
…of those Civil War–era women remains visible across the agricultural landscape. Women now lead national farm organizations, play prominent roles within the USDA, and manage farms—often assuming leadership when a…
Early 19th Century Farming Shaped America’s Economy
…core of daily life and national growth. Agriculture as the Foundation of American Life During this period, nearly every household relied on the land for survival. Agriculture dominated work, trade,…
How Supply and Demand Shaped Early U.S. Agriculture
…on how supply aligned with global demand. Cotton Gin Innovation and Its Impact on Cotton Prices The invention of the cotton gin revolutionized cotton production across the South. With processing…
Southern Agriculture: The Rise of Plantations and Cotton’s Global Impact
…cotton fibers from seeds, it made large-scale cotton production far more efficient and profitable. Cotton soon became the South’s leading export crop, earning it the nickname “King Cotton.” However, this…
How Railroads Transformed American Agriculture in the 1860s
…By linking farmers to consumers, cities, and ports, railroads transformed isolated rural economies into connected engines of national growth. Today, the legacy of that transformation remains visible in the vast…
Inside FIRA USA 2025: California’s AgTech Future
…that her passion for ag tech is rooted in protecting farmers and strengthening the long-term sustainability of agriculture. National Interest in Ag AI and Robotics FIRA 2025 also drew attention…
Homestead Act and America’s Westward Expansion
…Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789 – 2011; General Records of the United States Government, Record Group 11; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. By 1813, America’s western frontier stretched…
The Rise of Plantation Agriculture in Early America
…sustain a growing and diverse rural population. The Cotton Revolution After 1800 Following 1800, the discovery of new cotton varieties and the invention of the cotton gin transformed the Southern…
How Radio Transformed American Agriculture History
…laid the foundation for the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) and the USDA’s Agricultural Communications Network, which still serve farmers today. What started as five minutes of market news…
From Barley to Cotton: How America’s Early Crops Shaped Agriculture
…social and political history of the growing nation. Cotton: The Crop That Changed Everything By the early 19th century, cotton had risen to dominance as a major plantation crop. Its…
Edward Ring on California’s Water Crisis: Fixing a Broken System
…that national donors have written off California, funneling money instead to battleground states. “Until we get enough good candidates who can explain how to fix things—not just what’s wrong—we won’t…