Evolution of American Agriculture1834: Cyrus McCormick patents his

reaper. Grain must no longer be cut

by hand with a sickle or scythe

1837: John Deere and Leonard

Andrus begin manufacturing steel

plows

1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Population of the United States

Rural Population Urban Population

50 million

100 million

150 million

200 million

1847: McCormick factory constructed

in Chicago - produces 500 reapers in

time for the 1848 harvest

1850: About 75 - 90 labor hours are

required to produce 100 bushels of

corn

1865: Chicago’s Union Stock Yards

opens

1860: America has 30,000 miles

of railroads

1862: US Department of Agriculture

established

1867: Refrigerated boxcar is patented1843: John Lawes begins manufacture

of chemical fertilizer in England

1870: US farmers consume 321,000

tons of commercial fertilizer

1874: Joseph Glidden of Illinois

patents barbed wire

1873: First known upright, wooden

silo is built in Illinois

1862: Morrill Act allows for the

creation of state land-grant colleges

1869: Transcontinental railroad com-

pleted

1881: Hybrid corn developed

1887: Th e Hatch Act provides

for the creation of agricultural

experiment stations throughout

the United States

1890: 40 - 50 labor hours are

required to produce 100 bushels of

corn1890: US farmers consume

1,390,000 tons of commercial

fertilizer

1874: McCormick adds a mechanized

binder to its harvesters

1842: Jerome Increase Case establishes a

threshing machine works in Wisconsin

1892: First practical gasoline powered

tractor developed

1830s: US Agricultural

exports average

$74 million/year

1850s: US Agricultural

exports average

$189 million/year

1870s: US Agricultural

exports average

$453 million/year

1840s: US Agricultural

exports average

$90 million/year

1860s: US Agricultural

exports average

$182 million/year

1880s: US Agricultural

exports average

$574 million/year

1890s: US Agricultural

exports average

$703 million/year

1900s: US Agricultural

exports average

$917 million/year

1910s: US Agricultural

exports average

$1.9 billion/year

1920s: US Agricultural

exports average

$1.94 billion/year

1930s: US Agricultural

exports average

$765 million/year

1940s: US Agricultural

exports average

$2.42 billion/year

1950s: US Agricultural

exports average

$3.53 billion/year

1900: Th e Union Stock Yards employ

25,000 workers and 82% of the nation’s

domestic meat supply is processed there

1902: Four agricultural implement

manufacturers combine to form the

International Harvester Company

1910: US farmers consume 5,547,000

tons of commercial fertilizer

1906: Upton Sinclair publishes Th e Jungle

1906: Congress passes the Pure Food

and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act

1886: First self-propelled (steam

powered) combine is used to

harvest wheat in California

1920: US farmers consume 7,296,000

tons of commercial fertilizer

1920: Th e Census Bureau reports that

246,000 tractors are in use on American

Farms

1923: International Harvester introduces

its Farmall tractor

1930: 15 - 20 labor hours are

required to produce 100 bushels

of corn

1935: Th e Rural Electrifi ca-

tion Administration is created

1930: 13% of American farms

have electrical service

1914: Smith-Lever Act establishes

cooperative extension services

1933: In response to the dust

bowl, the Federal Soil Erosion

Service is created

1939: Federal Food Stamp

program created

1940: US farmers consume

8,656,000 tons of commercial

fertilizer1940: 33% of US farms have

electrical service

1930: Frozen foods are fi rst

marketed under the Birdseye brand 1949: Complete frozen dinners

are marketed for home

consumption

1945: 10 - 14 labor hours

are required to produce

100 bushels of corn

Post-World War II: Herbicides and

pesticides become widely available

1954: 93% of US farms

have electrical service

1954: Number of tractors

on farms exceeds horses

and mules

1928: Future Farmers of America

founded

1957: Poultry

inspection act

passed

1958: Humane

slaughter act

passed

1962: Rachel Carson’s

book Silent Spring

draws attention to

environmental impact

of excessive use of

pesticides