From Pioneering to Persevering: Family Farming in Indiana to 1880

di Paul Salstrom (Autore)

Purdue University Press, 2007

Thomas Jefferson envisioned an America based on family farming, and Indiana's pioneers came to southern Indiana to turn Jefferson's vision into a reality. At first, the dream was possible because the land was inexpensive and fertile, but as farmers' families grew, Indiana's best and most accessible land became expensive. Much of the state's prolific early output of corn, hogs, and wheat was exported to New Orleans to garner capital for further land purchasing. Transportation advances, especially railroad expansion, further increased land prices adjacent to the new lines. Entry costs to farming spiraled upward. Those who still wanted to find land cheap enough to start farming were forced into the state's remote south-central hill country and into the boggy lands that stretched across the north. With most farming land now owned, some settlers were forced westward to find suitable property. Hoosier farmers, however, were able to maximize their profits during the Civil War by using rails to move their crop and livestock output. This golden age led to a post-War preserving of the independent family farmer, especially for those who had significant acreage. Salstrom examines this ""independence"" and finds the portrayal to be less than adequate. Hoosier farming was an inter-dependent activity leading to a society of borrowing and loaning. The interactions of farmers were replete with penalties for those who didn't help each other with certain task. Remarkably though, there was little communal sharing of equipment or property. When people talk about supporting family farming, as Salstrom notes, the issue is a societal one with a greater population involved than just the farmers themselves.

• Autore: Paul Salstrom
• Editore: Purdue University Press
• Anno: 2007
• Rilegatura: Paperback / softback
• Pagine: 222 p.
• Peso: 333 gr.
• EAN: 9781557534538

Testo in English