“For the many Americans who have never set foot on a real farm, this book is required reading. . . . An engaging blend of agricultural history, geography, travel, and interviews with farmers [that] provides an unsentimental, realistic look at American farm life.” —
Library Journal
American farming has driven American life and fed much of the world for three centuries. Often in the words of farmers themselves, here is the story of what grows where and why, of America’s primary farming regions east of the Rockies. What was it like “Back then” to be a farmer? What of the plight of the family farm, what of government programs? What shape will American farming take in the next century? This is a fully informed survey of our number-one industry by one of America’s premier geographers.