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A Condensed History of American Agriculture 1776–1999

1776–99

1785The Philadelphia Societyfor the Promotion ofAgriculture and otheragricultural groups organized

1793Invention of cotton gin

18001802George WashingtonParke Custis institutedagricultural fair inArlington, VA

18101810First American agricul-tural periodical, theAgricultural Museum,began publication

1820Agriculture Committee,U.S. House ofRepresentatives,established

1820

1825Agriculture CommitteU.S. Senate,established

e,

18301834McCormick reaperpatented

18401840’sThe growing use of fac-tory-made agriculturalmachinery increasedfarmer’s need for cashand encouraged com-mercial farming

1850’sCommercial corn andwheat belts began todevelop

1862U.S. Department ofAgriculture established

1862The drive for agricultur-al education culminatedin the passage of theMorrill Land GrantCollege Act

1862Homestead Act gavefree public land to per-sons willing to farm it

1865-70The sharecropping sys-tem in the Southreplaced the old slaveplantation system

1850 1860 18701874Availability of barbedwire allowed fencing ofrangeland, ending eraof unrestricted, open-range grazing

1887 Hatch ExperimentStation Act set upFederal-State coopera-tion in agriculturalresearch

1890Second Morrill Act broad-ened land -grant programand set up funding forblack land-grant schools

1890Census showed that thefrontier settlement erawas over

1890First Federal MeatInspection Act

1896

TEDRural Free Delivery(RFD) started

1880 1890

USDA

INSPEC

1900

1900-1910George WashingtonCarver, director of agri-cultural research atTuskegee Institute, pioneered in finding newuses for peanuts, sweetpotatoes, and soybeans,thus helping to diversifysouthern agriculture.

1902Reclamation Actfacilitated irrigation

1906Food and Drug Act, alandmark in food safety

1908President Roosevelt’sCountry LifeCommission was estab-lished and focusedattention on ruralproblems

19101914Smith-Lever ExtensionAct passed setting up anational extensionservice

1922Capper-Volstead Actgave cooperatives legalstanding

1932-36Drought and dust-bowlconditions developed

1933Agricultural AdjustmentAct (AAA) initiated cropand marketing controls

1936Soil Conservation andDomestic Allotment Actlinked farm programswith conservation

1936Rural Electrification Act(REA) greatly improvedquality of rural life

1945-70Revolution in agricultur-al technology broughtgreatly increased yieldsand more specialized,capital-intensive farms

1946National School LunchAct

1947General Agreement onTariffs and Trade(GATT) establishedworking proceduresthat substantiallyreduced tariffs betweenmember nations

1954Agricultural TradeDevelopment andAssistance Act (P.L.480) facilitated agricul-tural exports andforeign aid

1954-55Rural developmentprogram begins

1956Soil Bank Programauthorized

1920 1930 1940 1950 19601964Food Stamp Act andWar on Poverty

1970Environmental QualityImprovement Act

1980’sBiotechnology becamea viable technique forimproving crop andlivestock products

1985Food Security Act low-ered government farmsupports, promotedexports, and set up the Conservation ReserveProgram

1990Food, Agriculture,Conservation, andTrade Act and OmnibusBudget ReconciliationAct increased farmers’flexibility in plantingunder governmentprograms

1993Revised GeneralAgreement on Tariffsand Trade (GATT) andnew North AmericanFree Trade Agreement(NAFTA) lowered tradebarriers

1996Federal AgricultureImprovement andReform Act revisedfarm programs toincrease reliance onmarket signals

997SDA issues Civil Rightsction Team report, offer-

ng 92 recommendationsor overcoming pastnjustices

998ACCP is implemented

o target and reduce theresence of pathogens

n meat and poultry

999rop in many commodi-

ies prices, combined withisastrous weather inany parts of the country,

aused increasedemand for USDA farmrograms

999 he "Roadless Initiative"

s implemented to pre-erve roadless tracts inational Forests, secur-

ng fish and wildlife habi-at and protecting naturalesources

1970 1980 1990–991UAifi

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