How did technology affect agriculture and mining in the west

How did technology affect the development of the west?

People risked their lives to open the West to commerce and settlement, braving harsh climatic and geologic conditions to cross the country and secure the land. Technology helped ease some of the strain and, in some cases, ensured success. Canals, stagecoaches, and railroads made it possible for thousands of people to settle the West.

How did technology affect the development of the Agricultural Revolution?

New methods of transportation allowed more products to be grown, and new technology for farming and processing foods made it possible for farmers to grow more food. Unfortunately, it would be decades before the country’s economic and political systems would adapt to the new capacity of its farms.

How did agriculture change after WW2?

After World War II, chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, often developed from research at land grant universities like Iowa State, further boosted farm production. In the 1960s, a truly new stage in agriculture began to emerge.

How did innovations in agriculture impact the economy in America?

How did innovations in agriculture impact the economy in America? Improvements in agriculture have been one of the most dramatic features of economic and social change in America since 1800. At the start of the 19th century, over 90 percent of the population was engaged in producing the food and fiber needed to feed and clothe the nation.

How did technology affect westward expansion and agricultural life in the West?

Innovations in business and technology transformed the speed and productivity of mining and agriculture which ultimately stimulated the economy in the U.S. … As such more settlers out west farming more land and sending farm products eastward caused more people to move west and more development of land out west.

What technological advances changed farming and mining in the West?

The railroads dramatically changed the economic viability of the West. The “iron horses” led to the development and economic prosperity of new towns, helping support the success of many farms and industries.

How did technology affect the West?

Technology helped ease some of the strain and, in some cases, ensured success. Canals, stagecoaches, and railroads made it possible for thousands of people to settle the West.

What technology was used in the westward expansion?

During the 19th century, the technologies that most influenced westward expansion were the telegraph and railroad.

Why did farmers who settled West need new technologies?

4. Why did farmers (who settled out west) need new technologies? Farming was difficult — technology allowed them to farm more land quickly and by themselves if necessary. Farming was difficult — technology allowed them to farm more land quickly and by themselves if necessary.

What inventions were created as a result of westward expansion?

The first plow made with steel instead of iron. Steel is a much stronger metal. The steel plow was one of the most innovative inventions of the 19th century. This gadget helped many farmers cultivate their land in order to produce crops.

How did new inventions and innovations impact the economy of the West?

American 19th Century Economic Growth in the West New inventions and capital investment led to the creation of new industries and economic growth. As transportation improved, new markets continuously opened to take advantage.

How did technological advancements in farming equipment help farmers?

Advances in machinery have expanded the scale, speed, and productivity of farm equipment, leading to more efficient cultivation of more land. Seed, irrigation, and fertilizers also have vastly improved, helping farmers increase yields.

What inventions were a great help to farmers settling in the West?

Railroads were an important technological advance that made it possible to settle the West. They could bring in supplies at an affordable price. They also made it possible for farmers to ship out their crops and ranchers to ship out their cattle.

How did technological advancements impact farming and the cattle industry?

The accumulated use of technology in the beef industry has improved cattle and enterprise efficiency and has decreased the resource inputs of feed and land. Important technologies that have been adopted include antibiotics, implants, ionophores, parasiticides, genetics, vaccines, physiological modifiers, and nutrition.

What two inventions helped to improve farming?

What two inventions helped to improve farming? Plows and reapers.

How did technology help the West?

Technology helped ease some of the strain and, in some cases, ensured success. Canals, stagecoaches, and railroads made it possible for thousands of people to settle the West.

How did canals, stagecoaches, and railroads help settle the West?

Canals, stagecoaches, and railroads made it possible for thousands of people to settle the West. Securing the land often meant defending the chosen spot against Indian attack; advances in gun design swayed the battles in favor of the white settlers.

How much did the shovelers get paid?

Spending their days shoveling, sometimes through swamps and bogs, the workers were paid between 37.5 and 50 cents per day if they had a set wage, or work crews of three men earned about 12.5 cents for each cubic yard of earth they moved.

Why did America turn to railroads?

Despite the popular enthusiasm for canal travel, which offered unheard-of leisure and speed, America’s attention soon turned to railroads. Like canals, trains could take people where rivers could not. But trains offered travelers more speed and luxury, and railroads were quicker to construct.

Why did the Irish dig the canal?

Much of the digging was done by Irish immigrants who had left their homeland because of the potato famine ( widespread starvation brought on by a disease that destroyed potato crops).

Why was it so difficult to travel around America?

Traveling around America used to be quite difficult. During the colonial period, roads were primitive and rivers did not connect people to all the places they wanted to travel. By the Revolutionary War (1776–83) , some had considered the benefits of creating man-made rivers called canals to connect natural waterways.

What were stagecoaches vulnerable to?

In addition to being uncomfortable, stagecoaches were vulnerable to attack. Robbers, called “road agents,” stopped coaches, stole all the valuables, and sometimes killed passengers or drivers. Stagecoaches carrying bullion (bars of gold) from the mines were especially targeted.

What are the benefits of ag technology?

We’re keeping our eyes open for opportunities in the ag tech space. We’re looking for startups offering technologies that can: 1 Increase farmer profitability, productivity, and efficiency. 2 Improve farmer, animal, and consumer livelihood with better work environments, food safety, and food security 3 Protect the planet and its finite resources.

Which region has the highest percentage of its population working in agriculture?

The regions that will have the largest population gains, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, also have the highest percentage of their population working in agriculture today: 60% and 50%, respectively. This is bound to decline dramatically as their economies progress.

Where is most of our food wasted?

In the U.S., most of our food is wasted at the consumption stage. In Sub-Saharan Africa, food is wasted before it even reaches the consumer. ( See more here ). Whatever way you look at it, the supply chain needs to become more efficient.

How did new technology help farmers?

New methods of transportation allowed more products to be grown, and new technology for farming and processing foods made it possible for farmers to grow more food. Unfortunately, it would be decades before the country’s economic and political systems would adapt to the new capacity of its farms.

How did the spread of U.S. industrialization to the West affect the Plains Indian culture?

The spread of U.S. industrialization to the West affected the Plains Indian culture in many ways, one of which was the extermination of the buffalo. In the early nineteenth century, between 50 million and 70 million buffalo, more technically known as the North American bison, roamed the Great Plains.

How many cattle were shipped to Abilene in 1871?

In 1871 an estimated 700,000 cattle made the trip to Abilene. Mature animals were shipped eastward for slaughter and processing. Younger stock and breeding cattle were driven farther north and west into the grasslands of the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming to increase the size of the herds available for market.

What was the purpose of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry?

Its aim was to advance the political, economic, and social interests of the nation’s farmers. Kelley, a clerk for the Bureau of Agriculture, had seen the problems faced by U.S. farmers. He resolved to set up an organization to assist farmers by bringing them together to discuss problems and to learn about new agricultural methods. Six of Kelley’s associates joined him in forming the group, and the following year he traveled to his native Minnesota to set up the first local Grange (a local lodge providing social and educational facilities as a chapter of the national society). Letters were sent to interested farmers around the country, but response was slight. Before 1870 only a handful of local Granges were established, mostly in Minnesota and Iowa, and in 1871 only scattered chapters could be found in nine states.

What was the trade in the early pre-railroads?

The grain trade. In the earlier, pre-railroad economic system, the local storekeeper of a given region had been the farmers’ key trading partner, receiving produce from them in exchange for food, seed, and manufactured goods such as clothing, farming tools, and medicines.

What was the lack of transportation in the Appalachian Mountains?

Before the 1850s, the lack of transportation in all areas west of the Appalachian Mountains made it nearly impossible for farmers and ranchers to sell large quantities of their products. This is illustrated in an 1852 U.S. Senate report showing that a farmer using wagons on existing dirt roads to ship his crop to a market 330 miles away was likely to spend the entire value of his crop on the cost of transporting it. Transporting by railroad reduced the cost by an estimated 90 percent.

When did grain flow through the Great Lakes?

By 1854 more grain was moving along the Great Lakes than through the major port city of New Orleans. By the early 1860s , grain flowed through the rising cities of the Midwest in railroad cars carrying 325 bushels each.

The role of agricultural technology in the future of Midwest farms

Karen I. Plaut (Purdue University) began her keynote address by underscoring the ways in which innovations in agricultural technology have driven rapid advances in crop field work.

Agricultural technology investment and rural economic development

John Mann (Michigan State University) focused on the role investment plays in generating innovations in agriculture and rural development. The share of venture capital (VC) devoted to agricultural technology rose from 2002 to 2018, but remained small (under 1%), according to Mann.

Broadband internet access, farming, and rural economic development

Brian E. Whitacre (Oklahoma State University) described the status of broadband 6 internet access in the rural Midwest, placing it in the context of the urban–rural digital divide. Broadband internet service is provided by fixed (e.g., cable, fiber optic, or satellite) and mobile (cellular) technologies.

How will new agricultural technologies be implemented and funded?

A panel led by Cortney Cowley (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City) discussed the challenges of funding the implementation of new technologies in areas with declining populations. The panelists were Edwin Elfmann (American Bankers Association), Tanner Ehmke (CoBank), and Douglas Wilson (U.S. Department of Agriculture).

Conclusion

Over the past five decades, great strides in agricultural productivity have been made, in large part because of technological advancements. These productivity gains have helped create larger and more specialized farms while lowering the need for farm labor.

How did labor saving equipment affect the rural population?

Labor-saving equipment reduced the need for hired help and led to an incentive to farmers to expand their acres . As farms grew larger with less hired help, the rural population decreased, putting a stress on the small towns and rural institutions like churches, hospitals and schools.

What was the new agriculture industry after World War II?

After World War II, chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, often developed from research at land grant universities like Iowa State, further boosted farm production. In the 1960s, a truly new stage in agriculture began to emerge.

What was John Deere’s invention?

John Deere’s invention of a steel plow that scoured the sticky prairie sod from the blade made turning prairie sod much faster and easier. That was rapidly followed by the adoption of horse-drawn reapers, sulky plows, mowers and threshing machines that enabled one farmer to cultivate and harvest much larger holdings.

What were the first changes in agriculture?

The first was the impact of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s, when horse-powered machines began to supplement human energy. John Deere’s invention of a steel plow that scoured the sticky prairie sod from the blade made turning prairie sod much faster and easier. That was rapidly followed by the adoption of horse-drawn reapers, sulky plows, mowers and threshing machines that enabled one farmer to cultivate and harvest much larger holdings.

Why are genetically modified plants controversial?

Genetically-modified plants sparked a controversy because their long-term environmental impact had never been tested. The livestock industry engaged in new breeding techniques to adapt animals to their environment and to market demands.

When was the Chicago Tribune article about cast steel?

This article appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 1872 on the “Farm and Garden” page. The author gives advice to farmers about new plows and spends a great amount of time advocating for cast steel in the manufacturing process. The author states that the volume of…

What is the purpose of the Sulky and Gang Plow?

It makes the point that a Sulky and Gang Plow will make the work of farmers easier. The article promises that the plow, made by Sear’s, will ease the difficulty of farm work…

What were the first agricultural inventions in the 1860s?

1860s–mid-1870s: Steam Tractors. The period from1862 to 1875 signaled a change from hand power to horses, characterizing the first American agricultural revolution. Farm inventions included: 1865–75: Gang plows and sulky plows came into use. 1868: Steam tractors were tried out.

How many people could a farmer supply in 1930?

1930: One farmer could supply nearly 10 people in the United States and abroad with food. 1930: Fifteen to 20 labor-hours were required to produce 100 bushels (2 1/2 acres) of corn with a 2-bottom gang plow, 7-foot tandem disk, 4-section harrow, and 2-row planters, cultivators, and pickers.

How many hours did it take to produce 100 bushels of corn in 1945?

1945: Ten to 14 labor-hours were required to produce 100 bushels (2 acres) of corn with a tractor, 3-bottom plow, 10-foot tandem disk, 4-section harrow, 4-row planters and cultivators, and 2-row picker.

How many acres of corn were planted in 1850?

In 1850, about 75 to 90 labor-hours were required to produce 100 bushels of corn (2 1/2 acres) with walking a plow, harrow, and hand planting. Other agricultural developments included:

What were the inventions of the 1830s?

Getty Images. In 1830, about 250 to 300 labor-hours were required to produce 100 bushels (5 acres) of wheat with a walking plow, brush harrow, hand broadcast of seed, sickle, and flail. Inventions included: 1834: The McCormick reaper was patented.

Global Shifts

Innovation and Technology

• There is a lot of innovation in the mobile/IT and energy spaces that have the potential to make a huge impact on the farm. For example, smart power systems, precision agriculture tools, farm management software, and affordable sensors are all within reach of even the smallest farmers today. From Nairobi to San Francisco and from Tallin to Sydney, e…

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Long-Term Objectives

Where Do We Go from Here?

The Role of Agricultural Technology in The Future of Midwest Farms

• Karen I. Plaut (Purdue University) began her keynote address by underscoring the ways in which innovations in agricultural technology have driven rapid advances in crop field work. For instance, farmers are now using drones and robots not only to scout for pests, diseases, and nutritional deficiencies, but also to aid in harvesting and maintaining …

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Agricultural Technology Investment and Rural Economic Development

Broadband Internet Access, Farming, and Rural Economic Development

How Will New Agricultural Technologies Be Implemented and Funded?

Conclusion