From fields to global markets

Agriculture is ingrained in almost every aspect of daily life, even for those who never visit a farm. It not only provides the food we eat, but also supports the economy and supplies materials for a wide range of everyday products. Given the sheer number of things agriculture supports, it's important to find ways to bring out its full potential. Mike Gastier, the extension educator for the Ohio State University branch in Huron County, stated that the agriculture we think of today was drastically different from its early days before Ohio became a state in 1803. Family-centered agriculture practices Today, when people think of agriculture, they might envision vast, empty fields filled with vibrant produce that extend for miles and are eventually sent to local grocery stores or a few states away for profit. Gastier said that settlers who came to Ohio in the late 18th and early 19th centuries typically grew only enough to support themselves and, if they had any left to give, traded with a few neighbors. During this time, Gastier said that farmers primarily grew crops that were easy to store, particularly during the cold winter months, such as turnips, wheat, corn and potatoes. In addition to these crops, Gastier stated that early settlers brought various fruits along with them, such as apples, small briar berries, blackberries and raspberries. "Everyone at that time just raised enough to live, so they didn't trade on a large scale," Gastier said. "In terms of livestock, most families had one dairy cow, pigs for pork, as it could be salted and stored for long periods of time, and chickens." The importance of the Erie Canal and Lake Erie The first major advancement that made it easier to trade goods at a larger scale was the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1825, which ran through the Cuyahoga Valley and connected the Ohio River to Lake Erie, according to an article from the U.S. National Park Service. This access to larger markets encouraged farmers to produce more than their families needed. Agriculture transitioned from subsistence farming to commercial production. By the mid-1800s, wheat and corn had become key commodities, and Ohio established itself as one of the nation's top agricultural states. Along with optimal soil conditions, Gastier stated that Lake Erie has been crucial in shaping Ohio's agricultural success and its capacity to trade extensive quantities of produce. Long before highways and railroads, the lake functioned as a natural transportation corridor, a climate stabilizer for crops and a gateway to major markets. Gastier said that after the construction of the Erie Canal, early settlers in the mid-1800s began draining what was known at the time as the Great Black Swamp, which included Lake Erie, using ditches and canals to access the area's rich soil. "This saved farmers a tremendous amount of travel, as prior to this, they were doing all their traveling by horse and wagons," Gastier said. "This put Ohio on the map for wheat production." A rise in modern farming techniques The modern farming equipment we see today, such as tractors, didn't become widely used until after World War II, primarily due to limited supply and the high cost of obtaining one. Gastier noted that farmers began using plows around 1870, while tractors did not appear until the rise of cars. Even then, many farmers preferred to continue traditional farming methods. "Many farms farmed with a single tractor and still used animals such as horses for farming tasks," Gastier said. "The only thing farmers typically didn't have was cash, and tractors at that time cost a lot of money compared to anything else." Another reason many farmers didn't feel the need to get a tractor was that most were still only producing enough crops to sustain themselves, as they operated on no more than 100 acres.