Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on June 21st, 2019 The 1930s were a tumultuous time, not just for farmers, but for the entire world. The world’s economy collapsed into an economic depression that shaped an entire generation. The harshness of scarcity became very real. Naturally, people grew desperate and needed to make substantial changes. Many […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on May 17th, 2019 The economics of agriculture, or any sector of the economy, are actually quite simple at their core. A product is produced and someone needs to be willing to purchase that product. What is the key to maximum profit? Connecting the product to the consumer in as […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on May 3rd, 2019 The statistic is quite striking. In 1820 it is estimated that 72% of Americans worked on farms. In 1920, the number was 30%. Today, less than 1%. This concept continues to come up repeatedly. For 200 years, people have been leaving farms for the city. The underlying […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on January 25th, 2019 I spent some time talking to my father this past week about what he knew of life in the early 1900s. I asked him questions about Dr. W.E. Taylor’s bookSoil Culture and Modern Farm Methods and was somewhat surprised by his response. His ancestors were not doing […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on January 17th, 2019 Though Dr. W.E. Taylor’s book, Soil Culture and Modern Farm Methods, is nearly 100 years old, it contains many practical tips that still apply today. This is the fifth of 5 blog posts on this subject. Find the posts here: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on January 3rd, 2019 Though Dr. W.E. Taylor’s book, Soil Culture and Modern Farm Methods, is nearly 100 years old, it contains many practical tips that still apply today. This is the fourth of 5 blog posts on this subject. Read part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here. […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on December 11th, 2018. Though Dr. W.E. Taylor’s book, Soil Culture and Modern Farm Methods, is nearly 100 years old, it contains many practical tips that still apply today. This is the third of 5 blog posts on this subject. Find part one here and part two here. 3. Proper Germ […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on December 11th, 2018. Though Dr. W.E. Taylor’s book, Soil Culture and Modern Farm Methods, is nearly 100 years old, it contains many practical tips that still apply today. This is the second of 5 blog posts on this subject. Find part one here. 2. The necessity of fresh, pure air […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on November 27th, 2018. As I read Dr. W.E. Taylor’s book Soil Culture and Modern Farm Methods, I have been simply blown away at the depth of knowledge farmers had access to 100 years ago. One hundred years seems so far in the past that it is easy to assume the […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on November 21st, 2018. With the increase of production of corn in the early 1900s due to better technology and understanding of farming techniques, the price of corn dropped by nearly 50%. This dramatic increase of supply placed farmers in a difficult position. How would the farmer gain “a fair […]