University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Farming In The 1930s

Getz, Lowell L.

Content Files
Farming in the 1930s.pdf
Farming-In-The-1930s.docx

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/108360

Description

Title
Farming In The 1930s
Author(s)
Getz, Lowell L.
Issue Date
2020-08-27
Keyword(s)
  • Farming 1930s
  • Farming Great Depression
  • Farming With Horses
  • Midwest
  • Illinois
Date of Ingest
2020-08-27T16:55:50Z
Geographic Coverage
Midwestern United States
Abstract
Farming in the 21st century is an expensive, highly technological business, employing exceptionally large equipment and advanced GPS and GIS technology. GPS is used for precise “hands-off” movement of the equipment through the fields and accurate end-of-pass turns. GIS is used in site-specific soil nutrient sampling, identification of areas infested with specific weeds, disease or insects and yield measurements within a field. These data in turn, allow for precise dispersion of chemical fertilizers and pesticides within the field, as well as planting densities. This account contrasts current agricultural practices with those of the Great Depression years of the 1930s. Although there had been technological advances in tractors and harvesting equipment by the 1930s, the financial situation of most farmers precluded taking advantage of them. The agricultural depression of the 1920s had stressed the finances of farmers, even before the onset of the even greater depression of the 1930s. As a result, most farmers had no option but to continue utilizing horse-drawn equipment and labor-intense methods. I grew up on a farm in South Central Illinois during the 1930s. What I describe, is what I observed and remember of what and how my dad and mom farmed during those years. Few survive who remember those years. Soon none will remain. This account places on record the primitiveness and back-breaking physical effort of farming in those times.
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
essay
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/108360

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