Bees and the World-Wide Farming Web
Connections between beekeepers in the 17th and 18th centuries created the early “world-wide farming web”—a way to share information across long distances.
The Feminist Evolution of the Iowa Porkettes
In Iowa, between 1964 and 1991, groups of women—the wives of pork farmers—boosted the supposed benefits of pork-heavy diets. They were the Iowa Porkettes.
The Forgotten Movement That Changed American Women’s Lives
Chatauquas changed the lives of Midwestern women between 1878 and 1900, setting the stage for new gender roles in the twentieth century.
Did Youth Farming Programs Really Fight Juvenile Delinquency?
Summer jobs for teens are becoming a thing of the past, but considering these beet farm jobs, maybe we shouldn't romanticize them too much.
Populism for Beginners
If the appeal of Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Brexit can all be described as "populist," then what is populism?
Are We Entering a New Golden Age of Guano?
A history of civilization could be written in fertilizers. And the history of guano—bird poop—tells us a lot about slavery, imperialism, and U.S. expansion.
Before Broadband, Seeking Universal Access to the Telephone
Today's debates about low-income subsidizes for broadband echo early fights for universal access to telephone lines.