Changes in Farming 



In the earlier years of this period the farm was pri- 

 marily a home. It was largely a self-contained unit 

 that is, the farm family raised and manufactured 

 "most of what they needed. They had but a small 

 amount of capital invested. They had a, low buying 

 power. The farmer and his family were essentially 

 manual laborers. Their profit was made mostly on 

 the rise in the value of the land. Gradually this con- 

 dition has changed. The farm is still and always will 

 be a home, but it is now far more largely a commercial 

 establishment. More of the farm work is done by 

 machinery. Relatively little manufacturing is now 

 done on the farm. The farm family is now a business 

 unit selling its output in the market and buying there 

 what the family needs. They have a considerable 

 amount of capital invested. To illustrate, a county 

 agricultural agent in one of the prosperous corn-belt 

 counties in the Middle West said: "There are 250 

 farmers in our farm bureau. They are the leading 

 farmers in the county. How much capital do you 

 suppose they have invested? It amounts to $60,000 

 on the average." That is, the modern leadership farm 

 family is operating a manufacturing establishment 

 with considerable capital invested. 



To succeed, the farmer and his family must read, 

 think, get expert assistance, and apply business 

 principles to farming. Such a family demands in 

 the home the same modern conveniences as are gen- 

 erally found in city homes. They demand far more 

 power machinery besides expensive farm implements. 

 They ride in a good automobile, wear good clothes, 

 buy good furniture and house furnishings, and con- 

 sume a great variety of manufactured foods. Briefly, 

 the leadership farm family of today buys a larger 



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