Get out a scratch piece of paper… List the top 5 natural resources used/consumed by humans (with 1 being the natural resource used the most and 5 being the resource used 5th most) 5. Coal – 188 years left 4. Phosphorus – 50 to 100 years 3. Natural gas – 58.6 years 2. Oil – 46.2 years 1. Freshwater – 1.8 billion people living in areas with absolute water scarcity by 2025

Chapter 13 Section 2: Farming the Great Plains Settling the West 1865-1900 Chapter 13 Section 2: Farming the Great Plains

Geography of the Great Plains

Geography of the Plains Many people considered the Great Plains to be the “Great American Desert” and the land was uninhabitable. Rainfall on the Plains averages less than 20 inches per year Trees & large vegetation grow naturally only along rivers and streams. Why would this be a problem for potential farmers?

The Beginning of Settlement During the late 1800s several factors convinced people to try their luck with farming the Great Plains Construction of railroads A decade of above average rainfall Homestead Act - $10 can get you 160 acres of land. ~$150 today Cost for an acre of land in Kansas today? $2,000 - $4,000

The Wheat Belt By the 1860s, farmers on the Plains were employing newly designed steel plows, seed drills, reapers, and threshing machines. New inventions allowed large landholders to make quick profits because it sped up the harvest. Wheat became the most profitable crop in the Great Plains Reaper was mass-produced in Plano, IL in 1831 Plano High School’s mascot = Reaper

The Wheat Belt Top 3 wheat producers in the U.S. in 2011 Kansas North Dakota Montana

Quick Review Which of these states would NOT be considered a part of the Great Plains: Nebraska, North Dakota, Indiana, Oklahoma What were two reasons why the Great Plains were originally given the nickname “The Great American Desert”? What factors convinced people to farm the Great Plains? How did new inventions impact farming in the Great Plains? Little rainfall, vegetation only grows along rivers Railroads, unusually abundant rain, cheap land Made it more profitable, helped make wheat a cash crop