History (Re) Photographed:
by Concordia College students in History 112HU, Fall 2016

Changing of Agricultural Land over the Last Fifty Years

In life, change is inevitable. As much as one could wish, there is no constant, the world is constantly reinventing itself. Even during the lifespan of a single person there is drastic change. Not that long ago, it was required to plug a computer into the landline to go on the internet. Today, there are devices more powerful than the machine that brought a man to the moon in the pockets of the majority of the population. The land we inhabit is no exception from this change. In the photograph below, there are two images of, what was once, a family farm. One was taken during the mid 1960s and the other much more modern-2012. The alterations that the original farm underwent are significant. This not only illustrates the change of not only the land, but society as well. Land that was previously used for agricultural purposes has been modified to suit the needs of the public, whether it be for industrial or leisure. 

Industry nearly defines today’s world, taking over whatever property the company sees fit to further their business. In Elizabeth Ransom’s book Rural Studies: Rural America in a Globalizing World: Problems and Prospects for the 2010s Ransom mentions how after even the mere introduction of the Roundup Ready seed in 1996 the agricultural land had already started to alter greatly, as well as the people who lived upon it. (1) The Roundup Ready seeds, which are convenient for the farmer, and for Monsanto as well, are supposedly easier to harvest. The seeds have been genetically altered to be immune to the pesticide Roundup Ready, which kills weeds and other potentially dangerous pathogens to the crop. (2 )The seeds themselves had no innate disadvantage, allowing the growing season to be much smoother, expanding fields and the romanticizing the idea of being a farmer. However, planting the same seeds over and over again on the same plot of land does take a toll. It uses up the nutrients there until the soil becomes barren and is unable to support anymore plant life. This land eventually becomes unusable and is eventually taken over by buildings or cities, as it has served its purpose to man. 

Industry, in some examples, can feel that they can merely take what they want and exploit whomever as long as it is to their advantage. This is illustrated today in the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The company is overtaking land, in this case land that is sacred to the Native Americans, and using it merely to the advantage of their company. (3) This can be seen throughout history. Even creating the railroad, an innovation and wonderful idea at the time, it altered the landscape throughout America. Blowing holes through mountains, running people off of their land even building through farms to reach the quickest way to their destination. (4)

People modify the land frequently, for their own personal gain. Destroying trees to put up another addition to a house, bulldozing a forest to put a new resort on the lake are just a few examples of this phenomenon. The need for a place to obtain goods and services close to the permanent residence has risen exponentially. Neighborhoods are expanding, condos are being constructed. It can be speculated that even this property will turn into land that is utilized, even more so, for the personal gain of either an individual or a population. As it is illustrated in the photograph juxtaposed below, much of the land that was once used for agriculture has been subjected to change. These are merely for the leisure desires of the owners of the land, in this situation my family. The barn is no longer standing and has been replaced by an up-to-date house. The land once used to sustain livestock is now used as pasture and storage. The fields have been transformed into a track for dirtbikes and four wheelers. 

Elise Wrolstad, who helped her father farm the land during its heyday, says she remembers when every piece of land had a purpose. “I used to be out in the fields all day long. There wasn’t an acre on this property that we didn’t use, dad farmed it all. It was sad to see it go but we don’t have to farm to keep our heads above water anymore.” (5) Wrolstad continued, saying the farmland was adjusted mostly for family entertainment and just to update the living quarters. 

In 1964 there were 131,163 in the state of Minnesota, according to the USDA Census of Agriculture Historical Archives. There was a total of 51,205,760 acres that were apart of all of the farms in Minnesota. (6) Then later, in 2002, there were 88,390 farms throughout the state. These farms occupied 22,729,158 acres. (7) This illustrates a significant decline not only in the amount of farms in Minnesota but also the total acreage. 

Change in itself is not evil. But some of the reasons behind the change can corrupt the good the change was initially enacted for. The land that was once used for agriculture, as all land once was, has been changed in many ways. To fit the needs of businesses and their expansion and products. The DAPL or Roundup Ready seeds show how industry has changed and touched the land around us and continue to do so in order to suit the needs and desires of the public. Who doesn’t always need another WalMart?  To obtain the natural resources that we now require, whether it be tearing down forests for their wood or blazing plains to reach the oil beneath the surface. History records what has been changed throughout the world and it has been more than we as humans could ever hope to fathom. In this rephotograph, the change of the land was used for agriculture is significant. The research support the conclusion that the land is changing, the amount of total farm acreage decreasing around thirty million. Many of the buildings utilized on a family farm are absent in the 2012 picture, as there was no use anymore. The family farm is an endangered species. Our lives are but a second in the eyes of time but the our actions last forever. The world is changing, that is a fact that no one can deny, but to accept and adapt to the future is a skill worth it's weight in gold. 

Footnotes: 

1. Elizabeth Ransom, Rural Studies: Rural America in a Globalizing World: Problems and Prospects for the 2010's (Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2014), 19
2."Agricultural Seeds," Monsanto, http://www.monsanto.com/products/pages/monsanto-agricultural-seeds.aspx. Accessed December 14th, 2016. 
3. "The Route" Energy Transfer, http://www.daplpipelinefacts.com/about/route.html, accessed December 15th, 2016
4. Courtney Endsly, "How the Transcontinental Railroad Changed America," last modified December 17th, 2014, http://gtgtechnologygroup.com/transcontinental-railroad/. 
5. Elise Wrolstad, interviewed by Isabelle Finholm on December 7th, 2016
6. USDA Census of Agriculture Historical Archive, "Farms, Acreage and Value: 1930 to 1964", http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1964/01/15/785/Table-01.pdf (accessed December 5th 2016). 
7. USDA Census of Agriculture Historical Archive, "Land: 2002 and 1997", http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/2002/01/23/1703/Table-08.pdf (accessed December 5th 2016).