Breadbasket to the world
By Cricket Media, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.13.20
Word Count 626
Level 710L
Image 1. A wheat field in Nebraska. This state is in the Great Plains region. Photo: PrairieArtProject/Getty Images Photo:
PrairieArtProject/Getty Images
The Great Plains is a region in the middle of the United States. This area of flat land stretches from
Mexico to Canada. It extends across the middle of the country.
People call the Great Plains the country's "breadbasket." This is because farmers grow much of the
country's food supply in this region. But farming in the Great Plains was not always easy. Several
important inventions have helped make farming more efficient in the region. Below you can learn
about some of these inventions.
Settling The Prairie
Before the early 1800s, most Americans lived on farms in the eastern U.S. Families grew their own
food. They tended the crops themselves or with the help of a few animals. Many families also grew
extra crops, which they could sell.
Life grew crowded in the east. When new land opened up in the 1800s, many families moved west.
Land was cheaper in the Great Plains. It was also flatter and less rocky. This was better for
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farming.
In 1862, the government passed the Homestead Act.
This law gave farmers an even greater reason to move
west. The law offered a person 160 acres of public
land. In return, the new owner had to live there for
five years and farm it.
The growth of railroads made moving west even more appealing. Railroads let farmers send their
extra crops to markets across the country. This helped them make more money.
A Better Plow
Farming in the Midwest was different from farming in the east. At the time, farmers used wooden
plows. A plow is a tool that breaks up soil. It makes the soil loose so farmers can plant seeds. Using
plows in the Great Plains was difficult. They broke in the thick prairie grasses, and the thick soil
clumped and got stuck onto the blades.
In 1836, a farmer named John Deere moved his family from Vermont to the Great Plains. Deere
designed a new kind of steel plow in 1837. It easily cut into the prairie soil. It also shed the clumps
of soil so they would not stick onto the blades.
Yet, farmers on the prairie still faced limits. Farms needed large animals to pull plows and other
equipment. Animals were expensive to feed. Farmers also needed more equipment and workers to
make large farms successful.
Powerful Changes
In the late 1800s, some farmers started to use
machines powered by steam. But they were too big
and expensive to replace work animals. They also
blew up sometimes. Soon, tractors powered by
gasoline came onto the scene. More improvements
came in the 1930s.
With new tractors, farmers were able to work more
acres. Farms and their crops grew larger. Farmers
also developed better methods of watering crops and
managing pests such as insects.
What's Next?
Today in the U.S., many families still own farms. According to government figures, about 2.5
million adults work on farms. Yet, farms feed about 330 million Americans and grow extra food to
ship to other countries. A small farm earns up to $350,000 per year.
Now, large farms have the help of new technologies. These include computers, satellites, wireless
technology and high-speed communication.
Other types of new farming machines can plant seeds faster and better. They also can apply
fertilizer or weed control only where they're needed. Costs for the newest equipment are high, but
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this is part of the future of farming.
Meanwhile, the world's population continues to grow. Engineers continue to work on new
inventions to feed the world.
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