Tractors on the Mall after GW Birthday snowstorm: 1979
Protesting farmers’ tractors are parked on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during the massive February 19, 1979 snowstorm.
The farmers were protesting low crop prices, high farm debt and widespread foreclosures.
The farmers’ principle demand was 100% parity—a guarantee by the federal government that prices would insure that farmers turned a reasonable profit.
This was the largest protest in Washington, D.C. by the American Agriculture Movement when dozens of vehicles drove around the Beltway and through downtown streets bringing traffic to a halt. Police said the disruption was worse than the antiwar Mayday demonstrators of 1971.
Angry farmers broke through barriers, threw a thresher over the White House fence and flattened a number of police motor scooters.
Police eventually confined the tractors to the National Mall where the heavy vehicles damaged the grounds.
The farmers were able to turn around the negative publicity during and after this snowstorm because the tractors were the only vehicles that could get through the snow that was as high as two feet, delivering critical supplies and personnel and clearing roads.
The farmers had twice before come to Washington in December 1977 and January 1978 with the same demands and returned again in 1980 and 1985.
The high profile tractor-cades drew widespread publicity, but did not change farm policy Washington, D.C.
The number of farms totaled about 6 million in 1935 of about 150 acres compared to about two million farms today (2016) averaging about 450 acres each. These figures are somewhat misleading because the top 10 percent of farms account for 70 percent of the cropland. The top 2.2% take up about one-third.
The number of small farms has been relatively stable since the 1970s (even increasing slightly), but the number of mid-size farms has drastically as agribusiness has taken hold. The statistics are similar to the increasing concentration of wealth among the general population.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHskZ4e5EA
Photo by Jeff Tinsley. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute.
Tractors on the Mall after GW Birthday snowstorm: 1979
Protesting farmers’ tractors are parked on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during the massive February 19, 1979 snowstorm.
The farmers were protesting low crop prices, high farm debt and widespread foreclosures.
The farmers’ principle demand was 100% parity—a guarantee by the federal government that prices would insure that farmers turned a reasonable profit.
This was the largest protest in Washington, D.C. by the American Agriculture Movement when dozens of vehicles drove around the Beltway and through downtown streets bringing traffic to a halt. Police said the disruption was worse than the antiwar Mayday demonstrators of 1971.
Angry farmers broke through barriers, threw a thresher over the White House fence and flattened a number of police motor scooters.
Police eventually confined the tractors to the National Mall where the heavy vehicles damaged the grounds.
The farmers were able to turn around the negative publicity during and after this snowstorm because the tractors were the only vehicles that could get through the snow that was as high as two feet, delivering critical supplies and personnel and clearing roads.
The farmers had twice before come to Washington in December 1977 and January 1978 with the same demands and returned again in 1980 and 1985.
The high profile tractor-cades drew widespread publicity, but did not change farm policy Washington, D.C.
The number of farms totaled about 6 million in 1935 of about 150 acres compared to about two million farms today (2016) averaging about 450 acres each. These figures are somewhat misleading because the top 10 percent of farms account for 70 percent of the cropland. The top 2.2% take up about one-third.
The number of small farms has been relatively stable since the 1970s (even increasing slightly), but the number of mid-size farms has drastically as agribusiness has taken hold. The statistics are similar to the increasing concentration of wealth among the general population.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHskZ4e5EA
Photo by Jeff Tinsley. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute.