Status
Call number
Publication
Description
"I'm embarrassed to say I thought I knew anything substantial about Wisconsin agriculture or its history before I read this book. 'Wisconsin Agriculture' should be required reading in history classes from high school to the collegiate level. It makes me thankful that Jerry Apps has such a sense of commitment to Wisconsin's agricultural heritage--and to getting the story right." --Pam Jahnke, Farm Director, Wisconsin Farm Report Radio Wisconsin has been a farming state from its very beginnings. And though it's long been known as "the Dairy State," it produces much more than cows, milk, and cheese. In fact, Wisconsin is one of the most diverse agricultural states in the nation. The story of farming in Wisconsin is rich and diverse as well, and the threads of that story are related and intertwined. In this long-awaited volume, celebrated rural historian Jerry Apps examines everything from the fundamental influences of landscape and weather to complex matters of ethnic and pioneer settlement patterns, changing technology, agricultural research and education, and government regulations and policies. Along with expected topics, such as the cranberry industry and artisan cheesemaking, "Wisconsin Agriculture" delves into beef cattle and dairy goats, fur farming and Christmas trees, maple syrup and honey, and other specialty crops, including ginseng, hemp, cherries, sugar beets, mint, sphagnum moss, flax, and hops. Apps also explores new and rediscovered farming endeavors, from aquaculture to urban farming to beekeeping, and discusses recent political developments, such as the 2014 Farm Bill and its ramifications. And he looks to the future of farming, contemplating questions of ethical growing practices, food safety, sustainability, and the potential effects of climate change. Featuring first-person accounts from the settlement era to today, along with more than 200 captivating photographs, "Wisconsin Agriculture" breathes life into the facts and figures of 150 years of farming history and provides compelling insights into the state's agricultural past, present, and future.… (more)
User reviews
The story is a progression of economic activity including mining and logging, fruits and vegetables, and processed foods including cheese and wine. Apps does an excellent job of relating his threads to larger themes in Wisconsin and American history. He shows how the secession of the cotton and sugar producing states during the Civil War stimulated booms in Wisconsin sheep and sorghum production and World War II shortages brought a revival of sorghum and made poultry an American staple. He relates how German immigrant brewers created a demand for hops. Agriculture provided the soil in which the “Wisconsin Idea”, that the limits of the University of Wisconsin are the boundaries of the state, took root as academians taught advanced farming methods from the lakes to the rivers. The saga of Wisconsin agriculture has many parts, including the North Country cranberries, Door County cherries, a wide variety of apples suited to diverse growing conditions, the hay grown for cattle, fish farming and mink raising. I learned new facts, such as why a silo is round, the way cranberries and cherries are harvested and how cooperatives shaped the rural landscape. Not limited to the past, readers are led up to the present and left with the challenges facing the Wisconsin farmer of the future.
This tome is a combination of narration and side bars with a generous selection of pictures that bring its words to life. Though not a resident of Wisconsin I am a frequent visitor. I enjoy its history, of which I now know more, have fond memories of visits to an aunt and uncle’s farm, which this rekindled, and appreciate The Badger State’s sights, of which I have more to look for. This is a book to read, set aside, refer to and leave out for your guests to page through. Jerry Apps has given us a treasure. Savor it!
I did receive a copy of this book to read and review.