"I believe that to live and work on a good farm, or to be engaged in other agricultural
             pursuits is pleasant as well as challenging; for I know the joys and discomforts of
             agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of
             discouragement, I cannot deny."
             This statement, which holds firm in the hearts of millions of American farmers, clearly
             states that farming has it's pleasant and it's challenging aspects. But, today, the challenges
             can be too large a burden for a farmer to bear on his own. What should be done, what can
             be done, to ensure that American agriculture will prevail through such challenges? Our
             government believes economic concessions, or subsidies, could be the saving grace for the
             typical American farmer. These subsidies certainly do bring benefits to farmers, but with
             Since the 1920's many problems were brought to the attention of the American
             farmer. The industrial boom and the extensive use of machinery in the 1920's drew many
             workers off the farm and into the cities. Even though this new use of machinery increased
             productivity, it was very expensive, therefore many small farms were unable to convert
             and utilize such machines. The much larger farms that had mechanized, were able to
             produce an abundance of resources, unlike the smaller family farms. With this abundance
             of food the demand for it stayed relatively constant. As a result of this, food prices went
             down and the small farmer was no longer able to compete, lacking the capital to buy
             productive machinery as the new corporate farm began to take over. Small farms lost their
             practicality, and many farmers were forced to consolidate to even come near competing.
             As a result of this consolidation between small farms, larger farms arose at a more
             constant rate than ever. The harshness of the 1920's certainly didn't stop there. The
             19...