Farmer's Problems -
The Farmers of America Are Struggling!
As you may know the United States is currently struggling to make profit through agriculture. Contrary to our agricultural economy during World War I, we were very dependable. We were supplying Britain and France with food on a regular basis, especially during the sinking of British merchant ships in 1917 by the Germans. They needed to rely on foreign imports of food to feed their citizens especially from the United States. Farming in the United States has taken a turn for the worst now currently in the 1920s.
After World War I, the United States was no longer needed to export food to countries in Europe because more countries are growing their own grains. With the expansion of American food continuing to go at its current rate, it has led to an overproduction and too much food on the market. Farmers are now finding difficulty in selling their produce. Although the Congress has tried to provide relief to the American farmers, the agricultural economy is still experiencing an ongoing depression. Because of outrageously large surpluses of produce farmers have been trying to sell their products for lower prices. This has caused them to constantly drop their products lower and lower and lower. As a result of super low prices and income, farmers have been victims of heavy debt. Farmers have been forced to sell their farms and move to urban areas. One in four farms have to change their lifestyles in order to fulfill financial obligations. Keep in mind one fifth of the population is making profit off of the value of their land. Rural poverty has now spread because of the agricultural depression lowering the value of land. The situation has only worsened and life for farmers is getting really tough.
Because of government policies, such as the Fordney-McCumber tariffs, the prices of foreign exports has become increasingly expensive. Since farmers earn less money, they are not able to contribute to foreign economy by buying foreign goods. With foreigners not making money with the agricultural economy, they are not able to spend money for american food exports. Now more than 600,000 farmers are bankrupt!
-Natalie Williams
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