1. Our Vanishing Farms Define or describe what it is.
How did it impact Georgia’s farms?
Did it impact other areas of the state?
G.I. Bill
Allowed returning soldiers to go to college
Provided low interest loans for cars and homes
With more and more young men returning home and going to college, there were less men left to work the farms
Newly educated men moved their families to larger cities in Georgia to find work. Larger cities saw massive growth during the post-WWII era.

2. Our Vanishing Farms Define or describe what it is.
How did it impact Georgia’s farms?
Did it impact other areas of the state?
Industry and manufacturing after WWII
Industry and manufacturing grew in Georgia during the war and this growth continued after the war ended.
Families left the farms and moved to the cities to pursue jobs in industry and manufacturing.
Large cities became crowded and suburbs became the home of the middle class. This increased the need for automobiles.

3. Our Vanishing Farms Define or describe what it is.
How did it impact Georgia’s farms?
Did it impact other areas of the state?
Aviation
Growth of the airline industry in the post-war era
It created even more expansion in industry and manufacturing because companies could transport goods quickly and efficiently. Aviation created jobs for former farmers of the state. By the close of the 1950s Lockheed was the state’s largest employer.
It allowed for Atlanta to become the transportation hub of the South. It provided a means for people and goods to travel quickly and efficiently.

4. Our Vanishing Farms Define or describe what it is.
How did it impact Georgia’s farms?
Did it impact other areas of the state?
Synthetic fabrics
Polyester and rayon were man-made fabrics that were used during the war.
The new synthetic fiber decreased the need for cotton because they became used for clothing and even more important to Georgia carpet making.
Dalton, Georgia became known as the carpet capital of the world. With the need for cotton declining farmers began to look for new crops like rye and peanuts.

5. Our Vanishing Farms Define or describe what it is.
How did it impact Georgia’s farms?
Did it impact other areas of the state?
Pine forests
Pine was always an abundant natural resource for the state of Georgia.
Georgia farmers began to grow pine for timber used to make paper and lumber to build new houses.
Georgia’s forestry industry supplied nearly a fourth of the nation’s building supplies in the 1950s and 1960s.

6. Our Vanishing Farms Define or describe what it is.
How did it impact Georgia’s farms?
Did it impact other areas of the state?
Changes in farms themselves
The number of farms in the post-war era was declining. The small farms that remained , consolidated to become bigger farms.
Farm products became so successful that the government had to pay farmers not to grow too much food. New faster farm equipment made big farms more productive.
Less people were needed on the farm with the new technology so more people were available to work in the emerging industries and manufacturing sectors of the state.