Agriucultural Crisis

Wartime Crops and Production
The Great War had created a sort of economic bubble. As the war dragged on warring nations had bolstered their production to help meet the demands of their men on the battlefront. This inflated the quantity of available goods needed for wartime, and among these were crops. About one third of the crops produced in the U.S were produced in Victory Gardens. This amount equalled the commercial production and was used to indirectly alter the course of the war.

Post-War Effects on Agriculture
The productivity of agricultural workers continued long after the war. The time immediately following 1914 was especially prosperous in the U.S as everyone felt the powers of increased industry. Though this appeared to be a boon, it would be this rapid inflation of goods and services that eventually led into the Great Depression. As the war ended much of the production became unnecessary. The leftover products became cheap or free, leading to a huge per-capita manufacture cost.

The Crisis in the Farm Sector
When the Great Depression struck it hit the already depressed agricultural sector and coupled to create a devastating effect on farms and ranches. Between 1910 and 1940 the number of operating farms in the U.S experienced a steady drop from 6.4 million to 6.1 million. The total farm mortgage debt also climbed from $3.2 billion to $9.6 billion between 1910 and 1930. Only after receiving numerous government bailouts did the agricultural sector begin to restabilize.