The United Farm Workers organizes for the rights of agricultural workers and has been instrumental in changing labor laws and securing more equitable contracts.
The third most important cereal grain in the United States, after wheat and corn, rice is one of America’s major food exports, as well as being used in quantity domestically.
As technological improvements in the ability to process poultry have increased and as health concerns about the consumption of beef have come to the fore, the poultry industry has increased its share of the market for meat and meat products, especially in the latter half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Pork, ham, bacon, and other pork products have been consistent parts of the American diet through most of the nation’s history, particularly among lower-income groups, for which they represent affordable sources of protein.
A combination of favorable geographic conditions, climate, and world demand for the staple crops of the South led to the growth of these large-scale agricultural operations beginning during the early seventeenth century.
Irrigated farming led to the profitable cultivation of acres that otherwise would not have been suitable for crop growing, the establishment of numerous subsidiary enterprises, and significant shifts in population.
During the colonial period and into the eighteenth century, the system of indentured labor provided a workforce for labor-intensive businesses such as tobacco farming.
Until the early twentieth century, horses were Americans’ primary means of transport for goods and services and enabled commerce to take place over a wider geographical area.
The Granger movement worked to improve economic conditions for farmers, lobbying for the creation of railroad and warehouse commissions in several midwestern states.
During the years from 1607 to 1775, farmers and merchants in colonies on mainland North America developed a market economy and commercial practices that provided the basis for material success comparable to the most advanced nations of Europe and made possible nineteenth century expansion.
Farm subsidies help control the price of crops, ensure farmers of a consistent income, and keep the United States free from dependence on foreign countries for its food supply.
Although the population of the United States grew dramatically during the late nineteenth century, the vast expansion of land being farmed and the beginnings of mechanized agriculture soon led to overproduction and falling prices.
The United States is one of the most productive agricultural nations in the world, and its ability to produce food and other cash crops has been a direct function of the labor available and its relationship to the means of production.
The Farm Credit Administration is the federal agency that regulates all other government entities providing credit facilities for farmers, other rural landholders, and ruralbased businesses.
The Dust Bowl caused hundreds of thousands of Americans to become homeless and resulted in millions of inhabitants leaving the Great Plains in search of better living conditions elsewhere.
