One hundred years ago, horse-farming remained commonplace on American farms – and that meant constant, relentless labor, year ’round. In the April 2023 issue of Farm Collector, author and historian Don McKinley slipped back a century to consider the routines and rhythms of four seasons on the farm. The first of a series, that segment focused on spring. In this issue, Don takes us through the farmer’s work in summer.
I know of no farmer who, when planting a seed, doesn’t have the faith that it will come to life and grow. The life force found in each seed is miraculous. Everything I do is designed to help those seeds reach their full potential at maturity.
Since World War I, the government has urged us to produce more and more food, and we have. But now the demand for food has declined, prices have fallen and farm incomes have dropped. Many farmers cannot afford to continue. In 1922, the Iowa farm population dropped by 478,000.
I consider our farm an and magazines to stay updated about innovations in agriculture.
