The Land That Feeds Us

by John Fraser Hart

“For the many Americans who have never set foot on a real farm, this book is required reading. . . . An engaging blend of agricultural history, geography, travel, and interviews with farmers [that] provides an unsentimental, realistic look at American farm life.” ― Library Journal American farming has driven American life and fed much of the world for three centuries. Often in the words of farmers themselves, here is the story of what grows where and why, of America’s primary farming regions east of the Rockies. What was it like “Back then” to be a farmer? What of the plight of the family farm, what of government programs? What shape will American farming take in the next century? This is a fully informed survey of our number-one industry by one of America’s premier geographers.

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

John Fraser Hart was an American geographer. Over the course of his career, he published over 150 scholarly papers and over a dozen books. He taught over 50,000 university students in his 65 years of teaching from 1949 until his retirement in 2015.

Reviews

[Warren M.]

John Fraser Hart assigned this book to me to use as supplemental reading during a geography class at the University of Minnesota. The book was worthless when used as a tool to help pass his unreasonable exams and may still be a decent read otherwise. I haven't yet picked it up for a second go-round.