The
Farming crisis
The farmers of the United States had prospered very much during World War I with Europe having a great demand for American produce since their own crops were limited (Nick Hardcastle). Once the war was over their once prosperous prices started to fall and because of the new machinery that was need to keep up were really expensive just sending the poor farmers further into debt (ushistory.org). Another of their problems was that they had been producing more food than what the citizens of the United States could consume. This was most like due because part of those portions were meant for Europe but since they had gone back to growing their own crops again the one’s that American farmers were growing were no longer need (Nick Hardcastle). With the continued drop of farm prices, farmers were being burdened with many debts and with not enough to pay were at risk of having their homes and farms foreclosed. Some organizations were created to try to raise the prices and help the farmers out, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Administration a.k.a AAA. For a while this did help them and many were getting government aid but it didn’t get to those who were in sharecropping and as a result sharecropping was eliminated and never done again in America (ushistory.org). To make the situation even worse during the 1930’s around the American Plains, manly the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico farmers had experienced very bad drought conditions (Croft Communications). Their once fruitful soil was no longer usable like Melt White had said “…they abused the land; they abused it something terrible…we don’t even think what the end result might” (WGBH). The rains had just stopped in 1931 and did not begin again until 1939. As a result the soil continued to dry up. Soon strong winds started to carry away the topsoil. ‘One journalist traveling through the devastated region dubbed it the “Dust Bowl”’ (WGBH). The “Dust Bowl” caused many farmers to pack what they had and leaves to urban areas in hopes of finding work somewhere else, as well as to escape the harsh conditions that the “Dust Bowl” was making (WGBH). Others whose crops were all but destroyed by the drought had really no way of paying their debts and as result of it were left with no other option then to “sell their farms for no profit to help themselves get out of other debts” (David Howarth & Megan Becker). The farmers had to face one challenge after another never getting any break. It was just one misfortune after another with no end in sight.
The farmers of the United States had prospered very much during World War I with Europe having a great demand for American produce since their own crops were limited (Nick Hardcastle). Once the war was over their once prosperous prices started to fall and because of the new machinery that was need to keep up were really expensive just sending the poor farmers further into debt (ushistory.org). Another of their problems was that they had been producing more food than what the citizens of the United States could consume. This was most like due because part of those portions were meant for Europe but since they had gone back to growing their own crops again the one’s that American farmers were growing were no longer need (Nick Hardcastle). With the continued drop of farm prices, farmers were being burdened with many debts and with not enough to pay were at risk of having their homes and farms foreclosed. Some organizations were created to try to raise the prices and help the farmers out, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Administration a.k.a AAA. For a while this did help them and many were getting government aid but it didn’t get to those who were in sharecropping and as a result sharecropping was eliminated and never done again in America (ushistory.org). To make the situation even worse during the 1930’s around the American Plains, manly the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico farmers had experienced very bad drought conditions (Croft Communications). Their once fruitful soil was no longer usable like Melt White had said “…they abused the land; they abused it something terrible…we don’t even think what the end result might” (WGBH). The rains had just stopped in 1931 and did not begin again until 1939. As a result the soil continued to dry up. Soon strong winds started to carry away the topsoil. ‘One journalist traveling through the devastated region dubbed it the “Dust Bowl”’ (WGBH). The “Dust Bowl” caused many farmers to pack what they had and leaves to urban areas in hopes of finding work somewhere else, as well as to escape the harsh conditions that the “Dust Bowl” was making (WGBH). Others whose crops were all but destroyed by the drought had really no way of paying their debts and as result of it were left with no other option then to “sell their farms for no profit to help themselves get out of other debts” (David Howarth & Megan Becker). The farmers had to face one challenge after another never getting any break. It was just one misfortune after another with no end in sight.