Many of the articles focus specifically on Indiana history, but several provide broader perspectives on farming and agriculture, prairie life, colonial professions, women's roles, and much more. Visit the web site to learn more about farming in seventeen hundred, eighteen-fifty and nineteen hundred. From the Ground Up was created by Green and Growing, a non-profit environmental education organization. Included in the series are a brief history of agriculture and lessons about soil, chemicals and the cost of food. Since the nineteen sixties, the number of farms in the United States has decreased consistently and continues to do so.
Many factors make it difficult for farmers to continue making a living from the land.
Those who continue to farm face many difficulties. Soil erosion, polluted water and toxic pesticides pose a threat to many farms. Scientists and farmers are now experimenting with methods for farming safely and effectively. UT Agriculture Magazine has a series of articles about The Growing Role of Women in Agriculture which includes information about the history of women on farms and a fascinating look at a present-day dairy farmer. Although it's not a flashy site, the USDA Publications Page contains a bounty of useful information.