The Rise and Decline of the Family Farm in Central Southern Wisconsin
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Rise and Decline of the Family Farm in Central Southern Wisconsin: 1890-1990 A study of the economic, social, and political ramifications of the loss of family farms on the rural communities of Columbia and Dodge Counties, Wisconsin By Bill Gill A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts History At The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire June 2013 Graduate Studies The members of the Committee approve the research paper of Bill Gill presented on July 16, 2013 Dr. Oscar Chamberlain C "<i;I" ii The Rise and Decline of the Family Farm in Central Southern Wisconsin: 1890-1990 A study of the economic, social, and political ramifications of the loss of family farms on the rural communities of Columbia, and Dodge Counties, Wisconsin By Bill Gill The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2013 Under the Supervision of Dr. Oscar Chamberlain The family farm in America is often referred to as the backbone of the Nation's identity. The number of active farms in Wisconsin has shrnnk from a high in 1934 of200,000 to the current number ofless than 68,000 according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. With the loss of these farms, Wisconsin's rural society loses jobs on the farm and throughout the community. When economics change in any one's life his social status, personal well being, and family stability are all at risk. Aside from sociological effects, the dislocation of families on the farm has brought with it a void of local political activists. This research focuses on the negative social, economic and political impact on rural communities resulting from farm loss. Additionally several causes for the farm decline are explored such as the poor profit to effort ratio of farming, the increased productivity of mechanization, and the influence of government actions that actively or inadvertently favored larger more specialized agricultural pursuit. ti!!- ll ~ esea;ch Paper Advisor (Signature) 111 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- v LIST OF FIGURES --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vi Chapter I. INTROI)UCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Question (Hypothesis)----------------------------------------------------------------------------2 l)efinition of terms-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 l)ecline of family farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 II. OVERVIEW OF THE l)EVELOPMENT OF FARMING IN THE U.S. ----------------7 1890-1920------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 Post WWI and l)epression---------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 New l)eal Legislation --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Post WWII ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 197 0-1990----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 III. l)ISCUSSION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Comparative statistical analysis---------------------------------------------------------------- 54 Transitional analysis from family farm to corporate partnerships------------------------- 64 IV. CASE STUI)IES OF CENTENNIAL FARMS--------------------------------------------- 68 V. CONCL USI ON---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 9 VI. BIBLIOGRAPH'r ----------------------------------------------------------------------------~- 93 IV Tables page Table 1 Number of Farms--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Table 2 Number of Farms Nationally v. Wisconsin--------------------------------------------- 52 Table 3 Value of Wisconsin farmland and Buildings------------------------------------------- 55 Table 4 Value of Wisconsin Farm Equipment --------------------------------------------------- 56 Table 5 Wisconsin Farm Income------------------------------------------------------------------- 57 Table 6 Wisconsin Farm Income v. All Worker Income --------------------------------------- 59 v Figures page Figure 1 Map of Wisconsin showing Columbia and Dodge Counties--------------------------23 Figure 2 Location of the Kreuger Farm-------------------------------------------------------------70 Figure 3 Four Generations of Kreugers-------------------------------------------------------------71 Figure 4 Map of Arlington Township Showing Caldwell Land---------------------------------78 Vl Introduction A definition of terms and identification of the rise of farming, the decline of family farms, and the emergence of corporate farm primacy. 1 "Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country." - William Jennings Bryan With each passing year the landscape of Wisconsin takes one more step in an evolution that was begun over one hundred years ago. Driving the criss-cross web of rural roads, one cannot help but notice the disappearance of fencerows. These small elements of the much greater whole that comprises our Nation have meaning that extends to its roots. Each of these wire and wood edifices represented the delineation of the property of a citizen farmer, most often a family farm operator. So with the departure of each fencerow one may witness the loss of a family farm. As the wire is rolled and the posts are pulled the Nation, the State, and the community loses the active participation, the economic contribution and the social bond once provided by the members of a family farm. This research will explore two primary assertions; first the decline of family farms has had a negative social, economic and political impact on rural communities in the central portion of southern Wisconsin, and secondly that the decline of the family farm between 1890 and 1990 is the result of several factors including the poor profit to effort ratio of farming, the increased productivity of mechanization, and the influence of government actions that actively or inadvertently favored larger more specialized agricultural pursuit. To fully understand the role the family farm has played in central southern Wisconsin, one must first place the issue within a national context. To achieve this goal the concept and definition of a farmer, a farm, and specifically the family farm must be achieved, and the place the family farms have held within the history of the Nation established. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a farmer is defined as the person who runs the farm, making the day-to-day management decisions. He may be an owner, hired manager, cash tenant, share tenant, and/or a partner. Under this definition a farmer is not necessarily a landowner ifhe is a principal farm operator. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency website, "the U.S. Census considers a farm as any establishment which produced and sold, or normally would have produced and sold, $1,000 or more 2 of agricultural products during the year" (government subsidies are included in sales). By that definition, there were fewer than two million farms in the United States in 1990. This however is deceiving as the census inflated the number of agricultural establishments that qualified as farms through the inclusion of a point system accounting method. Those establishments that did not have nmmal sales in a given year, but produced goods that had a value, were rated with points equivalent to their sale and still qualified for the definition of a farm if the awarded points and/or cash sales totaled $1000.00. This allowed operations thathad $500.00 in government subsidies and $500. 00 in points to qualify as a farm though they had no actual income from farm product sales. So both the definition of farmer and of a farm allowed for many classes of operations and individuals to lay claim to the tittles and therefore were included in the agricultural census. This distinction is important to understand when reviewing the numbers of family farms over time. 1 Having established the government's functional definitions of farmers and farms, this analysis will turn to the definition and classification of family farms. This review will again start with the United States Department of Agriculture for its terminology. It may be assumed that the family farm would be well defined and specific as it accounts for major segments of the agricultural census. This is not the case. The title family farm has traditionally been given to one in which ownership, operation~and control of the farm business is held by a family of individuals, related by blood, marriage, or adoption. This definition is simple and to the point, much like the 1870s era from which it takes its roots. In fact this definition would be this author's choice as it would most certainly adhere to the average reasonable citizen's description of a family farm entity. Overtime the legally accepted version has been revised and become a bit more complex.2 1 "USDA - NASS, Census of Agriculture - 1987 Census of Agriculture." USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Web Page, accessed October 27, 2012, http://www.agcensus. usda. gov/Publications/Historical_Publications/19