Nature’s Past Episode 16: The Industrialization of Agriculture

Scroll this
NP Logo 1x1 12 July 2016

Episode 16: The Industrialization of Agriculture

Download Audio

Subscribe

if_Google-Play_692176    if_Google-Play_692176    if_itunes_C_104830    if_icon-social-youtube_211929     if_073_RSS_183202   if_twitter_square_black_107068if_46-facebook_104458

From 1945 to the early 1970s, technological innovations helped to transform American agriculture. The introduction of industrial chemicals and new machinery to US farm operations in the decades after the Second World War ushered in, what some historians have characterized as an agricultural revolution. These changes certainly altered food production and agricultural output. They also altered the practice of farming itself, leading ultimately to fewer farmers tending larger and larger farms. What caused farmers to adopt these new chemical and mechanical technologies? How did this affect the business of farming in the second half of the twentieth century? What were the environmental and human health consequences of these substantial changes in agriculture?

On this episode of Nature’s Past,  Joe Anderson joins us to discuss his book Industrializing the Corn Belt: Agriculture, Technology, and Environment, 1945-1972, a detailed study of the adoption of industrial chemical and mechanical technologies on US farms in the decades following the Second World War.

Also, Jim Clifford discusses his new role as Project Coordinator for the Network in Canadian History and Environment.

Image of Book Cover: Industrializing the Corn Belt: Agriculture, Technology, and Environment, 1945-1972,

Guests:

Joe Anderson

Jim Clifford

Works Cited:

Sean Kheraj, Canadian History and Environment

J.L. Anderson, Industrializing the Corn Belt: Agriculture, Technology, and Environment, 1945-1972. DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 2009.

Jim Clifford, West Ham and the Lower Lea River

Music Credits:

“The Turtle Steps” by Pitx

“Acoustic Guitar 100 BPM” by donniedrost

“A Beautiful Day (moon edit)” by robertodaglio1

“Acoustic Guitar Strumming 143 BPM” by unreal_dm

Photo Credit:

“2011 10-11 Moonset Over Iowa Corn” by scottshephard

Citation:

Kheraj, Sean. “Episode 16: The Industrialization of Agriculture” Nature’s Past: Canadian Environmental History Podcast. 28 September 2010.

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy YouTube channel

Sean Kheraj

Associate Professor and Vice-Provost Academic at Toronto Metropolitan University
Sean Kheraj is a member of the executive committee of the Network in Canadian History and Environment. He's an associate professor in the Department of History and Vice-Provost Academic at Toronto Metropolitan University. His research and teaching focuses on environmental and Canadian history. He is also the host and producer of Nature's Past, NiCHE's audio podcast series and he blogs at http://seankheraj.com.

NiCHE encourages comments and constructive discussion of our articles. We reserve the right to delete comments that fail to meet our guidelines including comments under aliases, or that contain spam, harassment, or attacks on an individual.