Category Archives: Factoids

Agri-Musing: George Washington on Agriculture

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1786: George Washington wrote:
“Nothing in my opinion would contribute more to the welfare of these States, than the proper management of our Lands; and nothing, in this State [Virginia] particularly, seems to be less understood. The present mode of cropping practiced among us, is destructive to landed property; and must, if persisted in much longer, ultimately ruin the holders of it.”
1791:  George Washington wrote to Arthur Young, the author of the  article called “On the Conduct of Experiments in Agriculture“ (1786):
“The aim of the farmers in the country… is, not to make the most they can from the land, which is, or has been cheap, but the most of the labour, which is dear, the consequence of which has been, much ground, has been scratched over and none cultivated or improved as it ought to have been: Whereas a farmer in England, where land is dear, and labour cheap, finds it his interest to improve and cultivate highly, that he may reap large crops from a small quantity of ground. That the last is the true, and the first an erroneous policy, I will readily grant; but it requires time to conquer bad habits, and hardly anything short of necessity is able to accomplish it. That necessity is approaching by pretty rapid strides.”

Agri-Musing: Abraham Lincoln and Agriculture

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Abraham Lincoln quote:

“Every blade of grass is a study; and to produce two, where there was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure. And not grass alone; but soils, seeds, and seasons – hedges, ditches, and fences, draining, droughts, and irrigation – plowing, hoeing, and harrowing – reaping, mowing, and threshing – saving crops, pests of crops, diseases of crops, and what will prevent or cure them – implements, utensils, and machines, their relative merits and how to improve them – hogs, horses, and cattle – sheep, goats, and poultry – trees, shrubs, fruits, plants, and flowers – the thousand things of which these are specimens – each a world of study within itself.”

He was an advocate for agriculture and signed multiple laws that shaped U.S. Agricultural Policy: 

  • Established the USDA on May 15, 1862.
  • Signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862. This transferred nearly 232 million acres of land from the public to private ownership and created over 1 million farms. 
  • He signed The Morrill Land Grant College Act on July 2, 1862. This legislation allowed for a donation of public lands to states for colleges of Agriculture and “mechanical arts”.