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Farming Methods Collection

"Farming Methods: A Glimpse into the Past and Present" From medieval times to modern-day America, they have evolved significantly, shaping the way we cultivate our land

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: The Effects of Good Government in the Countryside, (detail), 1338-1340. Artist: Ambrogio Lorenzetti

The Effects of Good Government in the Countryside, (detail), 1338-1340. Artist: Ambrogio Lorenzetti
The Effects of Good Government in the Countryside, (detail), 1338-1340. Ambrogio Lorenzetti frescoed the side walls of the Council Room (Sala dei Nove) of the City Hall (Palazzo Pubblico) of Siena

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: The Ploughing Match, 1813 (oil on canvas)

The Ploughing Match, 1813 (oil on canvas)
WES239431 The Ploughing Match, 1813 (oil on canvas) by Weaver, Thomas (1774-1843); 70x89.5 cm; The Trustees of the Weston Park Foundation

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: The Shors demonstrate the main tools for cultivating the land (hoe - 'abyl', harrow) and..., 1913

The Shors demonstrate the main tools for cultivating the land (hoe - "abyl", harrow) and..., 1913
The Shors demonstrate the main tools for cultivating the land (hoe - "abyl", harrow) and grain (hand winnower, mortar, millstone), 1913

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Dinnertime, between 1889 and 1891. Creator: Frank Meadow Sutcliffe

Dinnertime, between 1889 and 1891. Creator: Frank Meadow Sutcliffe
Dinnertime, between 1889 and 1891

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: The Sowers, c. 1939. Creator: Archie Thompson

The Sowers, c. 1939. Creator: Archie Thompson
The Sowers, c. 1939

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Breaking Ground, c. 1939. Creator: Orrie McCombs

Breaking Ground, c. 1939. Creator: Orrie McCombs
Breaking Ground, c. 1939

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Harvesting with Grain Cradles, c. 1939. Creator: Stanley Mazur

Harvesting with Grain Cradles, c. 1939. Creator: Stanley Mazur
Harvesting with Grain Cradles, c. 1939

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Planting Corn, c. 1939. Creator: Stanley Mazur

Planting Corn, c. 1939. Creator: Stanley Mazur
Planting Corn, c. 1939

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: It Will Soon be Here, c. 1939. Creator: John Koehl

It Will Soon be Here, c. 1939. Creator: John Koehl
It Will Soon be Here, c. 1939

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing

Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920
Food Garden Commission, between 1910 and 1920. USA. Farmer ploughing with a Case tractor

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait...Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait...Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms to control the pest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia. A hand binder follows the mower. These men had never heard of a combine harvester. "Sure would like to see that." Their father used a reap hook

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Tractors on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Tractors on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tractors on Lake Dick project, Arkansas

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Day laborers hoeing cottonn, near Corsicana, Texas, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Day laborers hoeing cottonn, near Corsicana, Texas, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Day laborers hoeing cotton. Many tenant farmers become day laborers on mechanized farms. Near Corsicana, Texas

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Men cradling wheat in eastern Virginia near Sperryville, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Men cradling wheat in eastern Virginia near Sperryville, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Men cradling wheat in eastern Virginia near Sperryville

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Men cradling wheat in eastern Virginia near Sperryville, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Men cradling wheat in eastern Virginia near Sperryville, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Men cradling wheat in eastern Virginia near Sperryville

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Contour plowing on mechanized farms, Childress County, Texas Panhandle, Texas, 1938

Contour plowing on mechanized farms, Childress County, Texas Panhandle, Texas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Contour plowing on mechanized farms. Childress County, Texas Panhandle, Texas

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Between Laton and Fowler, central San Joaquin Valley, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Between Laton and Fowler, central San Joaquin Valley, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Between Laton and Fowler, central San Joaquin Valley, California. One man-one horse methods are rare in California

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Cantaloupe field, desert agriculture on the Mexican border, Imperial Valley, California, 1938

Cantaloupe field, desert agriculture on the Mexican border, Imperial Valley, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cantaloupe field, desert agriculture on the Mexican border. Large-scale corporation farming. Imperial Valley, California

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Tractor on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Tractor on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tractor on Lake Dick project, Arkansas

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Texas tenant farmers who have been displaced from their land by tractor farming, 1937

Texas tenant farmers who have been displaced from their land by tractor farming, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Texas tenant farmers who have been displaced from their land by tractor farming

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Abandoned tenant house on a mechanized plantation of the Mississippi Delta, 1937

Abandoned tenant house on a mechanized plantation of the Mississippi Delta, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Abandoned tenant house on a mechanized plantation of the Mississippi Delta

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Farmers sacking grasshopper bait, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Farmers sacking grasshopper bait, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sacking grasshopper bait. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Cradling wheat near Christianburg, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Cradling wheat near Christianburg, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cradling wheat near Christianburg, Virginia

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field, five miles from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi. Tractor drivers are not allowed to do anything but drive tractors. Repairs are made by the mechanic at the plantation garage

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937

Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms to control the pest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Irrigation ditch alongside the road, Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Irrigation ditch alongside the road, Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Irrigation ditch alongside the road. Imperial Valley, California

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Cradling wheat near Christianburg, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Cradling wheat near Christianburg, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cradling wheat near Christianburg, Virginia

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Irrigation ditch along the road, Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Irrigation ditch along the road, Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Irrigation ditch along the road. Imperial Valley, California

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Soil erosion at Arroyo Grande, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Soil erosion at Arroyo Grande, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Soil erosion at Arroyo Grande, California. Soil Conservation has one of its principal stations here

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Sugar beet field showing tractor with plowshare attached and Mexican operator, California, 1936

Sugar beet field showing tractor with plowshare attached and Mexican operator, California, 1936
Sugar beet field showing tractor with plowshare attached and Mexican operator. California

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia. A hand binder follows the mower. These men had never heard of a combine harvester. "Sure would like to see that." Their father used a reap hook

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: A new start, Bosque Farms project, New Mexico, 1935. Creator: Dorothea Lange

A new start, Bosque Farms project, New Mexico, 1935. Creator: Dorothea Lange
A new start. Bosque Farms project, New Mexico

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Leveling the land for irrigation on the Bosque Farms project, New Mexico, 1935

Leveling the land for irrigation on the Bosque Farms project, New Mexico, 1935. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Leveling the land for irrigation on the Bosque Farms project. The tract of two thousand four hundred acres to be cultivated under irrigation. New Mexico

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Tractor garage at the Aldridge Plantation near Leland, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Tractor garage at the Aldridge Plantation near Leland, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tractor garage at the Aldridge Plantation near Leland, Mississippi

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Fuel station on the Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Fuel station on the Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Fuel station on the Aldridge Plantation. Mississippi

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Tractor and driver on the Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Tractor and driver on the Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tractor and driver on the Aldridge Plantation. Mississippi

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Cotton hoers leaving Greenville at 5 am for a day's work on the plantations, Mississippi, 1937

Cotton hoers leaving Greenville at 5 am for a day's work on the plantations, Mississippi, 1937
Cotton hoers leaving Greenville at 5 a.m. for a day's work on the plantations. Wages one dollar a day, one dollar and twenty-five cents on a few plantations. Hoers carry their lunches

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Native Texan farmer on relief, Goodliet, Hardeman County, Texas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Native Texan farmer on relief, Goodliet, Hardeman County, Texas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Native Texan farmer on relief. Goodliet, Hardeman County, Texas. "Tractored out" in late 1937. Now living in town, and on the verge of relief. Wife and two children

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Fuel tank on the Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Fuel tank on the Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Fuel tank on the Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi. ['J.H. Aldridge & Co. "Standard" Tractor Fuel. We use Farmall Tractors and Other McCormick-Deering Equipment']

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Oldest son of a sharecropper family working in the cotton, Chesnee, South Carolina, 1937

Oldest son of a sharecropper family working in the cotton, Chesnee, South Carolina, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oldest son of a sharecropper family working in the cotton. Chesnee, South Carolina

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Delta cooperative farm, Hillhouse, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Delta cooperative farm, Hillhouse, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Delta cooperative farm. Hillhouse, Mississippi

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: One of a group of western Oklahoma wheat farmers congregated at crossroads service station, 1938

One of a group of western Oklahoma wheat farmers congregated at crossroads service station, 1938
One of a group of western Oklahoma wheat farmers congregated at crossroads service station. "In 1934 I had four renters, and I didn't make anything

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Hillhouse, Mississippi Delta cooperative farm, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Hillhouse, Mississippi Delta cooperative farm, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hillhouse, Mississippi Delta cooperative farm

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Tractor on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Tractor on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tractor on Lake Dick project, Arkansas

Background imageFarming Methods Collection: Cultivating cotton cooperatively at Lake Dick, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange

Cultivating cotton cooperatively at Lake Dick, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cultivating cotton cooperatively at Lake Dick, Arkansas



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"Farming Methods: A Glimpse into the Past and Present" From medieval times to modern-day America, they have evolved significantly, shaping the way we cultivate our land. Ambrogio Lorenzetti's masterpiece "The Effects of Good Government in the Countryside" (1338-1340) depicts a harmonious rural scene where efficient agricultural practices lead to prosperity. Fast forward to 1813, and we find ourselves immersed in "The Ploughing Match, " an oil painting capturing the spirit of competition among farmers striving for excellence. This artwork reminds us of how innovation has always been at the heart of farming, driving progress throughout history. Moving on to John Collier's photograph from 1943, we are transported to a Spanish-American village nestled in New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Here, traditional farming techniques intertwine with nature as locals work diligently on their crops—a testament to their resilience and connection with the land. In Tennessee during that same era, Marion Post Wolcott captures scenes of corn planting along riversides. These images highlight how water resources were harnessed strategically for irrigation purposes—an essential aspect of sustainable agriculture even today. Meanwhile, Georgia witnesses farmers spreading fertilizer using four-mule team wagons—a practice showcased by Marion Post Wolcott once again. This image showcases resourcefulness and efficiency as farmers optimize organic waste for nourishing their fields. Russell Lee's photograph takes us back to Pie Town, New Mexico in 1940 when Jim Norris harvests fresh corn from his field—an embodiment of hard work paying off amidst challenging conditions. Similarly captured is Bill Stagg turning up pinto beans—reminding us that diverse crops contribute not only to food security but also economic stability within communities. Dorothea Lange's lens transports us further west—to Klamath County, Oregon in 1939—where threshing occurs under a midsummer noon sun.