GEOG 130 Lecture Notes - Corn Belt, Corn Oil, Contour Plowing
Document Summary
No man"s land (storms) but expanded out to the e. Political-economic results expanded beyond the immediate agricultural area. Sod-busting w/o anticipation of droughts, rapid expansion of large area. Underlying patterns of land ownership (land rushes, laws, credit relationships) Availability of new tech (tractors, railroads) that imposed certain spatial scales of production. Could not switch our crop due to ability to produce by farmers vs. other farm- goods. Because price dropped, made more to make up difference. Didn"t do anything until dust got to the east. Subsidies to kill cattle, holding soil in place using cars, concrete. Ccc (commodities capital corporation): loans for production (seeds, etc. for next round) Wpa (work progress administration): work for rural families. Price supports: purchase of farm animals for certain price b/c no. Where market for it = can/give away to poor. Ecology dictate a return to grazing-based economy, but 1) lower returns/acre, 2) support fewer people, 3) still subject to drought cycles.
