Agriculture: Oklahoma’s Legacy
Objective
Students will read about the history of agriculture in Oklahoma. Students
will create timelines based on their reading. Students will use maps to
trace historical migrations of different people coming to Oklahoma and
leaving Oklahoma. Students will discuss economic cycles of prosperity
and hard times for Oklahoma agriculture. Students will examine the impact
of government on Oklahoma agriculture. Students will identify cause and
effect in events in the history of Oklahoma agriculture. Students will answer
questions from a chart showing select agricultural statistics from statehood
through the latest agricultural census.
Background
By the time Oklahoma and Indian Territories wed in 1907 to become
the Great State of Oklahoma, there were over 62,000 farms, producing 8.6
million bushels of wheat, 113 million bushels of corn, 8 million chickens,
347,000 turkeys, 2 million bushels of potatoes, 90,000 bushels of flaxseed,
864,000 bales of cotton, and 60,000 sheep. By 1910, the 3-year-old state had
over 190,000 farms.
That’s amazing, considering 100 years earlier, US government
surveyors had declared Oklahoma part of a Great American Desert, “unfit
for cultivation and uninhabitable by people depending upon agriculture
for their subsistence.” The Great American Desert was renamed the Great
Plains, once actual farmers moved in and proved earlier assessments wrong.
The land that would become Oklahoma had an agricultural legacy
long before statehood and long before the US government bought it from
France as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Thousands of years earlier, ancient
people were cultivating corn, squash, sunflowers and many other plants now
considered weeds. On the plains nomadic tribes burned brush to manage
grazing land for herds of bison, elk and deer.
One hundred years after statehood, Oklahoma has become one of the
great agricultural states of the Great Plains. We have rolling prairie land,
forests and streams. Today Oklahoma has 85,000 farms and ranches. The
average size of a farm in Oklahoma is 400 acres, although there are also
many farms and ranches of 5,000 acres. About 73 percent of our state’s 45
million acres of land is used for farming and ranching.
Social Studies
1. Read and discuss background and the historical chart included with this
lesson, “Agriculture in Oklahoma History.”
2. On a map of the US, show your students the state of Oklahoma, then
trace the following historical migrations. As you trace the migrations,
students will name the direction of the movement (N, S, E, W)
—The movement of the Plains Indians through Oklahoma from Canada
www.agclassroom.org/ok
Oklahoma Academic
Standards
GRADE 3
Social Studies PALS—1.
A1,2,3,B5,6,C7,8; 2.A2,7,D10;
3.A1,2,B4
Social Studies Content—
2.1,2,3,3.1A,2A,B,C;
4.1,3,5,6,7,9
COMMON CORE
Language Arts—3.
RI.1,2,3,5,7,8,10; 3.W.2,7;
3.SL.1,2,4
GRADE 4
Social Studies PALS—1.
A1,B5; 2.A2,B7,9, C10; 3.A1,
B4
Social Studies Content—
1.2D,E,3,4,5; 2.1,4
COMMON CORE
Language Arts—4.
RI.1,2,3,5,7,10; 4.W.2,7,10;
4.SL.1,2,4
Vocabulary
agritourism—private land where
the public is invited for educationl
or recreational purposes
allotment—a share or portion
alternative— not customary or
traditional
bale— large bundle of goods
tightly tied for storing or shipping
biotechnology—the manipulation
(as by changing genetic material)
of living things to produce useful
products (as crops resistant to
disease)
bioterrorism—terrorism
involving the use of biological
weapons
bushel—any of various units of
dry capacity
civilization—an advanced
stage (as in art, science,
and government) of social
development
conservation—a careful
preservation and protection of
something; especially planned
management of a natural resource
to prevent exploitation, pollution,
destruction, or neglect
consolidate—to join together into
one whole
desert—dry land with few plants
and little rainfall
drought—a long period of dry
weather
erosion—wearing away by the
action of water, wind, or glacial ice
flaxseed—the small seed of flax
used as a source of linseed oil and
in medicinal preparations
(Continued on next page.)
to Mexico and back again;
—The movement of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole
and Choctaw from east of the Mississippi River to Indian
Territory;
—The movement of settlers into Oklahoma from Kansas,
Arkansas and Texas;
—The Okie migration from Oklahoma to California.
—Divide your classroom or space on the playground to represent
these migrations. Use signs to designate the cardinal directions.
—Students will simulate the migrations to show how Oklahoma
was settled. Assign students to each migration, and have them
move as you read about the event. Use the cardinal directions to
tell students which way to move. Some students should represent
the people who were already here by pretending
to work in a garden (hoeing motion).
3. Oklahoma agriculture has been through many cycles of prosperity
followed by periods of difficulty. Students will track those periods
through the list of events and discuss the causes both of prosperity and
hard times. (Producing too much leads to lower prices for farmers.
Debt acquired during prosperous 80s forced many farmers from the
farm during less prosperous times.)
4. What is a desert? Why were explorers Pike and Long wrong to call
Oklahoma a desert? Students will use online or library resources
to research the definition of desert and write papers showing how
determine how Oklahoma is like a desert and different from a desert?
5. Find examples in the “Agriculture in Oklahoma History” chart
of government actions that impacted the history of agricuture in
Oklahoma. (e.g., removal of tribes to Indian territory; conservation
efforts following Dust Bowl; Demonstration Agents)
Language Arts
1. Read and discuss background and the historical chart included with
this lesson, “Agriculture in Oklahoma History.”
2. Assign each student one or more of the following events. Provide
a copy of the following chart, “Agriculture in Oklahoma History.”
Students will look at the text to find the cause(s) AND/OR effect(s) of
the following events:
—Indian Removal Act (Effect: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek
and Seminole tribes move to Oklahoma.)
—Civil War (Effects:Freed slaves came to start all-Black towns;
Soldiers and freed slaves joined cattle drives and drove cattle through
Oklahoma.)
—End of Cattle Drives (Cause: Settlers put up barbed wire fences;
Railroads provided better transportation to markets.)
—4-H Clubs (Cause: Researchers thought youth could get their
parents to accept new farm practices.)
—More tractors on farms (Effect: Fewer horses.)
www.agclassroom.org/ok
—Dust Bowl (Causes: Drought and poor farming practices; Effect:
Conservation efforts)
—World War II (Effect: Oklahoma farmers encouraged to produce
more food; Many people leave farms for higher paying jobs in the
defense industries; Returning GIs choose not to return to the farm;
peanuts introduced as a commercial crop.)
—Irrigation (Effect: crops can be grown in dry areas.)
—Wheat to the Soviet Union (Effect: higher prices for farmers.)
3. Divide students into groups, and have them act out one or more of the
events in the “Agriculture in Oklahoma History” chart.
4.
Math
1. Use the statistical chart showing Oklahoma’s top crops to create a
graph. Students will select three or more crops to graph.
2. Students will read the chart to find answers to the following
questions.
—What was the largest number of farm animals shown in 1907? In
2002?
—What crop records are shown on the chart for 1907 that are not
shown on the 2002 chart? What crops are shown for 2002 that are not
shown for 1907?
—What farm animals are recorded on the chart in 1907 but not in
2002?
—What farm animals are recorded on the chart in 2002 but not in
1907?
3. Horses and mules were used on farms to do much of the work that is
now done by tractors and other machinery. Students will look at the
statistics chart and try to figure out when tractors started taking over.
(Answer: Numbers of horses and mules started declining beginning in
1937, were cut in half by 1947 and declined even more dramatically
in 1957. By 1967 they were no longer counted in ag statistics.)
Extra Reading
Freedman, Russell, Children of the Great Depression, HMH Books for
Young Readers, 2010.
George-Warren, Holly, The Cowgirl Way: Hats Off to America’s Women
of the West, Houghton-Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.
Perritano, John, The Transcontinental Railroad (True Books), Childrens,
2010.
Sandler, Martin W., The Dust Bowl Through the Lens: How Photography
Revealed and Helped Remedy a National Disaster, Walker
Childrens, 2009.
Scillian, Devin, Pappy’s Handkerchief, Sleeping Bear, 2007.
Thomas, Joyce Carol, and Floyd Cooper, I Have Heard of a Land,
HarperCollins, 2000.
Townsend, Una Belle, and Emile Enriquez, The Oklahoma Land Run,
Pelican, 2008.
Vocabulary (Cont.)
graze—to feed on growing grass
or herbs
haven—a place of safety
homesteader—someone who
acquires a piece of land from U.S.
public lands by living on and
cultivating it
irrigation—supplying with water
by artificial means
isolation—separation from others
legacy—something received from
the past
longhorn cattle—cattle with long
horns formerly common in the
southwestern U.S.
maize—Indian corn
migration—a movement from one
place or locality to another
mound—a small hill or heap of
dirt or stones
recession—a downward turn in
business activity
subsistence—the minimum (as
of food and shelter) necessary to
support life
surveyor—someone who gathers
information from or about a place
technology—the use of science in
solving problems
territory—a part of the U.S. not
included within any state but
having a separate governing body
topsoil—surface soil usually
including the rich upper layer in
which plants have most of their
roots and which the farmer turns
over in plowing
uninhabitable—unable to live or
dwell in
Agriculture in Oklahoma History
AD 600-1500: Spiro Culture and
Beyond
Centered in what is now Spiro, Oklahoma, people of
the Caddoan/Mississipian culture grow maize (corn) in fields
surrounding the mounds along the Arkansas River in eastern
Oklahoma.
No one knows what happened to the Spiro people, but by
1500, when the first Europeans arrived, there were Osage, Caddo,
Quapaw and Wichita people growing maize and other crops
along rivers in Oklahoma. The nomadic Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache
and Comanche moved through, following bison herds and other
game.
In 1541, the Spanish explorers Francisco Vasquez de
Coronado and Hernando de Soto were the first Europeans in
Oklahoma, arriving from opposite directions.
1800s
In 1803, the US government purchased 830,000 square
miles from France. Known as the LOUISIANA PURCHASE, this
included the area that would become Oklahoma.
That same year Zebulon Pike explored the Great Plains,
including Oklahoma, and incorrectly labeled it a “GREAT
AMERICAN DESERT.” Stephen Long followed in 1819 and
concluded the Great Plains was unfit for agriculture, even though
people had been farming here for over 1,000 years. Later farmers
decided to give it a try anyway and found it was suitable for
agriculture after all.
The INDIAN REMOVAL ACT of 1830 brought the
Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek and Seminole to Indian
Territory from their land east of the Mississippi River. All
brought agricultural practices, with maize as the principal crop.
At that time there were already many American Indians, whites
and escaped slaves living and farming in the territory. The
Delaware, Cheyenne, and Apache were also forced to relocate
here around that time.
Oklahoma was a haven to freed and escaped slaves before
and after the CIVIL WAR. Many were farmers and came here to
establish towns just for African Americans. They created more
ALL-BLACK TOWNS in Oklahoma than in all the rest of the
country.
Returning Civil War soldiers and freed slaves learned
cowboy skills from Mexican caballeros (cowboys). They joined
CATTLE DRIVES, herding longhorn cattle north from Texas and
Mexico through Oklahoma to graze on land in Nebraska, Kansas,
the Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana. The cattle were then
driven to railroad towns in Kansas and shipped east to St. Louis,
Chicago or Cincinnati.
The first RAILROADS crossed Oklahoma from 1870-72,
bringing more white settlers. Settlers put an end to the cattle
drives when they put up BARBED WIRE FENCES around their
farms. Large herds of cattle could no longer move freely through
the territory, and the railroads provided a safer and less expensive
method of moving cattle.
In 1887, THE GENERAL ALLOTMENT ACT divided all
tribal lands into allotments of 40-160 acres for individual tribal
members. All the land that remained was open to homesteaders.
The first LAND RUN was in 1889. These were
UNASSIGNED LANDS purchased by the US government from
the Creeks and Seminoles. Some of the people in the land run
were running to establish farms. Others wanted to set up towns.
The Organic Act created OKLAHOMA TERRITORY
in 1890, and the OKLAHOMA AGRICULTURAL &
MECHANICAL COLLEGE (now OSU) was established the
same year in Stillwater. The college included an Agricultural
Experiment Station on the college farm.
In 1897, Langston University was established as the
COLORED OKLAHOMA AGRICULTURAL AND NORMAL
UNIVERSITY.
1900s
In 1903, the FIRST OKLAHOMA 4-H CLUB, known
as the Corn Club, was established in Johnston County with 50
members. Researchers at agricultural colleges found that youth
were more likely to experiment with new agricultural discoveries
than adults in the farming community. The youth would then
share their experiences and successes with the adults.
From the 1900s to the mid 1920s, as many as 250,000
men moved from field to field every year, following the ripening
wheat crop all over the Great Plains. The starting point for the
GREAT WHEAT MIGRATION was the Enid railway station in
Oklahoma.
In 1905, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a law requiring
the teaching of agriculture in the public schools. This was the
beginning of VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE.
1907, Statehood
1907 also saw the first STATE FAIR OF OKLAHOMA,
a showcase for agricultural innovations and Oklahoma’s
agricultural products.
In 1908 the first COOPERATIVE DEMONSTRATION
AGENTS began their work in Oklahoma. The average
farmer did not readily change farming practices but modified
them primarily through observing the agricultural practices
of successful neighbors. Agents signed up successful and
well-respected farmers in each county to demonstrate new
agricultural techniques. Eventually this program grew into
the COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, which was
established in Oklahoma in 1914. The first Extension agents
conducted moveable schools and emphasized learning by doing.
1920s
TRACTORS, TRUCKS AND OTHER MACHINERY
begin replacing horses on Oklahoma farms. SOIL EROSION
became a concern, and CONSERVATION EFFORTS began.
WKY, Oklahoma first RADIO station, went on the air
in 1921. Radio ended farmers’ isolation from the outside
world. Besides providing entertainment, radio was a source of
information and helped agricultural agents reach their audiences.
DROUGHT
To make up for food shortages caused by WORLD WAR
I the US government in 1924 encouraged farmers all over the
United States to PLANT “FROM FENCE TO FENCE.” The
shortages also caused the price of WHEAT to go up, so planting
wheat became a very profitable business. Landowners in the
Oklahoma Panhandle and all over the Southern Plains plowed the
ground cover and planted winter wheat. The destruction of the
delicate grassy cover on the prairie was one of the major causes
for the Dust Bowl.
1930s
DROUGHT
DUST BOWL, 1934-38.
Drought and poor farming practices caused much of the
topsoil in the Oklahoma Panhandle to blow away. The worst
dust storm of them all rolled across the plains of Oklahoma on
April 24, 1935. It was called BLACK SUNDAY because the
clouds of dust turned the sky black. As a result of the Dust Bowl,
the government introduced greater conservation measures and
farmers learned better farming practices.
Depressed prices for farm products and an increase in the
use of tractors forced tenant farmers (farmers who did not own
their own land) from farms in eastern Oklahoma during the
1930s. Many MIGRATED TO CALIFORNIA, where they had
heard there were jobs.
1940s
WORLD WAR II, in 1942, affected Oklahoma agriculture
in several ways:
—Oklahoma farmers were encouraged to produce more
food.
—Many people left farms for higher paying jobs in the
defense industries.
—Returning GIs chose not to return to the farm. Veterans
who wanted to return found it difficult because the cost of
land was higher and equipment was expensive.
—PEANUTS were first grown commercially (for peanut oil)
in Oklahoma during WWII.
In 1947, many rural one-room schools were closed and
consolidated into CONSOLIDATED RURAL SCHOOLS.
Oklahoma’s first TV station, WKY, went on the air in
1949. As with radio, TV brought agricultural programs into farm
homes.
1950s
CHEMICAL PESTICIDES developed for war use were
introduced to Oklahoma farms in the 1950s.
DROUGHT
IRRIGATION alternatives were developed (dams, irrigation
wells), making it possible to raise crops in dry areas, like the
Oklahoma Panhandle.
Eroded land formerly used for cotton was planted to
Bermuda for GRAZING CATTLE in eastern Oklahoma.
PECAN production began to increase in Oklahoma in the
1950s.
The SIZE OF OKLAHOMA FARMS BEGAN TO GROW
while the number of farms began to shrink.
1960s
MORE TRUCKS AND TRACTORS
FEWER MILK COWS AND CHICKENS
More CONVENIENCES such as electrical appliances and
telephones.
More FARMERS MOVED INTO TOWN and commuted to
the farm.
More chemical fertilizers, improved varieties of seed, and
better cultivation methods produced LARGER CASH CROPS
ON LESS LAND
1970s
The MCCLELLEN-KERR ARKANSAS RIVER
NAVIGATION SYSTEM opened, connecting Tulsa (and
Oklahoma) to the Mississippi River. Wheat, soybeans and other
Oklahoma farm products were shipped via this system.
In 1972, Oklahoma farmers began selling WHEAT TO THE
SOVIET UNION, which brought higher prices to farmers.
Many farmers were encouraged by the PROSPERITy of the
70s to go into DEBT to expand their operations.
1980s
RECESSION—The prices farmers got for their products
went down while the cost of farming went up. Many Oklahoma
farmers were forced out of farming. As farms failed, so did small
town businesses. To keep their farms, many farmers took jobs off
the farm.
Some farmers develeoped ALTERNATIVE uses of their
land—catfish farming, dude ranches (agritourism), vegetable
farming, etc.
OKLAHOMA AG IN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM
was created to provide resources for classroom teachers to help
students understand the importance of agriculture in their lives.
1990s
Farmers began using COMPUTERS AND SATELLITE
TECHNOLOGy to track and manage their farms.
BIOTECHNOLOGY brought important new developments
in dairy, corn, soybeans and other commodities; genetically
engineered crops and livestock appeared.
Oklahoma FARMS continued to GROW LARGER.
SWINE and POULTRy industry grew in eastern Oklahoma.
Impact of animal waste on WATER QUALITy became a
concern.
ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURE and AGRITOURISM
continued to keep small farmers in business.
1994, NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
(NAFTA) lowered trade barriers and enhances export prospects
for Oklahoma agricultural products.
DISTANCE EDUCATION made agricultural research and
Extension resources more accessible to Oklahoma farmers.
2000s
9/11 terror attack led to concerns about BIOTERRORISM,
and outbreaks of diseases in poultry and cattle in other countries
caused FOOD SAFETY concerns. Oklahoma agricultural agencies continue to take measures to protect our food supply.
FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM was established to encourage
school districts to use more local foods in school cafeterias.
DROUGHT
Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma
Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Oklahoma Ag Production, 1907-2007
1907
1917
1927
1937
1947
1957
1967
1977
1987
1997
2007 *
# of farms
190,192
191,721
197,218
213,325
164,790
119,000
89,000
70,000
70,000
72,000
86,565
chickens
8 million
11 million
20 million
16 million
20 million
8 million
3 million
2 million
2 million
4 million
3 million
414,000
173,000
116,000
113,000
milk cows
726,000
all cattle
3 million
3 million
4 million
6 million
5 million
5 million
4 million
101,000
243,000
145,000
72,000
90,000
75,000
80,000
76,000
hogs and
pigs
1 million
407,000
350,000
330,000
200,000
2 million
2 million
2 million
horses and
mules
896,000
640,000
331,000
90,000
33.3
million
27.5
million
88.3
million
67.2
million
98.7 million
151
million
191 million
93 million
90 million
sorghum
(bushels)
35 million
6.6
million
7.3
million
6.2
million
20,000
11,000
12 million
peanuts
(pounds)
16 million
162 million
55 million
sheep and
lambs
wheat
(bushels)
cotton
(bales)
2 million
60,000
8.6 million
864,106
35.7
million
2 million
68,023
244
million
957,676
1 million
290,000
260,000
pears
(bushels)
45,000
130,000
5 million
168,000
apples
(bushels)
1 million
493,000
19 million
peaches
(bushel)
1.2 million
760,000
20 million
667,000
265,000
hay (tons)
494,000
920,000
1.5
million
798,000
2 million
1 million
potatoes
(bushels)
2 million
3 million
3 million
2 million
2 million
452,000
sweet
potatoes
2.4
million
525,000
520,000
228,000
rye
(bushels)
198,000
144,000
423,000
600,000
oats
(bushels)
21 million
25 million
13 million
barley
(bushels)
1 million
780,000
1 million
84 million
11 million
26 million
corn
(bushels)
113
million
soybeans
(bushels)
33 million
225,000
175,000
280,000
7 million
120,000
1 million
1 million
1 million
463,000
4 million
113,000
208,000
5 million
21 million
39 million
1 million
4.5 million
Source: US Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract: Earlier Editions and USDA National Agricultural Statistics
Service. Most numbers are rounded off to nearest million or thousand. Blank spaces indicate no numbers were
found for that year.
* latest census
Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma
Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Name________________________________
Agriculture: Oklahoma’s Legacy
1500 Osage, Caddo, Quapaw and Wichita people were growing maize along rivers in Oklahoma.
1541
Spanish explorers Coronado and deSoto were the first Europeans in Oklahoma, arriving from
opposite directions.
1803
The US government purchased land from France called the Louisiana Purchase. This included
land that would become Oklahoma.
1803 Zebulon Pike explored the Great Plains, including Oklahoma, and incorrectly labeled it a
“GREAT AMERICAN DESERT.”
1830
The Indian Removal Act brought Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek and Seminole to Indian
Territory (Oklahoma). All brought agricultural practices, with maize as the principal crop.
1865
Civil War soldiers and freed slaves learned cowboy skills from Mexican caballeros; Cattle drives
came through Oklahoma.
Railroads crossed Oklahoma; Ranchers began putting up barbed wire fences, putting an end to
open range.
1870
1889 Landruns settled unassigned lands quickly.
1907
At the time of statehood there were over 62,000 farms in Oklahoma
Use the simplified Oklahoma history chart above to create an
Oklahoma Agriculture History timeline.
1. On a separate sheet of paper draw a horizontal line. Use your ruler
to keep the line straight.
2. Write the date of each event along the line.
3. For each event think of an easy-to-draw symbol to illustrate the event (examples: corn to represent the maize
grown by native tribes, cactus to represent desert, cow to represent cattle drives).
4. Draw the symbol in the correct place on the timeline for each event.
Example:
____________________________________________________________________________
1500
1541
1803
1865
1870
1889
1907
Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, the Oklahoma
Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.