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nancyadelman 's review for:
Author Ted Genoways, who is from Nebraska and the son of a farming man, spends a year with the life of Rick Hammond and his family in small-town Nebraska. The Hammond family farms beef cattle, corn, and soybeans on their lots and have done so for generations.
The author shadows them as they go about their daily life on the farm, branding calves, watering the crops, harvesting soybeans, or fixing farm machinery when it breaks down. He also writes about the history of the farming industry in the United States. He writes about the Homestead act giving any American who wanted it 160 acres of land. And how President Lincoln created the United States Department of Agriculture and the A&M (Agricultural & Mechanical) colleges in the United States! I had no idea that Lincoln was so involved in farming. He also writes about the invention of the Central Pivot Irrigation systems, a watering system that you've probably seen from afar, or by air (or both). Throughout the history of the farm, he weaves the Hammond family's story.
There was a lot of stuff I learned about farming in this book. I am giving this four stars because I feel like he left a lot of questions unanswered. For example Rick Hammond near the end of the book bought two bulls and took them to the cow pasture, but only for a little while? Why? I had to go look up cattle husbandry to learn why, but would have vastly preferred to hear it from the author. So that is why I'm giving it four stars.
The author shadows them as they go about their daily life on the farm, branding calves, watering the crops, harvesting soybeans, or fixing farm machinery when it breaks down. He also writes about the history of the farming industry in the United States. He writes about the Homestead act giving any American who wanted it 160 acres of land. And how President Lincoln created the United States Department of Agriculture and the A&M (Agricultural & Mechanical) colleges in the United States! I had no idea that Lincoln was so involved in farming. He also writes about the invention of the Central Pivot Irrigation systems, a watering system that you've probably seen from afar, or by air (or both). Throughout the history of the farm, he weaves the Hammond family's story.
There was a lot of stuff I learned about farming in this book. I am giving this four stars because I feel like he left a lot of questions unanswered. For example Rick Hammond near the end of the book bought two bulls and took them to the cow pasture, but only for a little while? Why? I had to go look up cattle husbandry to learn why, but would have vastly preferred to hear it from the author. So that is why I'm giving it four stars.