What was the most valuable agricultural product in 1860?

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Forum Host
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
Well I think most of know it was corn. The total value of corn grown in 1860 was double the value of cotton grown in in the United States in 1860. The leading area for corn production was the Ohio Valley. This is one of the reasons both the Union and Confederacy wanted control of Kentucky and Tennessee.
 
A national economy benefits when money changes hands, a personal garden does little for a national economy

In small scale sustenance farming, not much changes hands. Corn was used by pioneers for ones own cornmeal, whiskey, and livestock feed, which often left little for commercial purposes

To me at least I value the profit margin more then simply meeting the overhead :D
I would think the affect on commercial enterprises would be positive with farmer's using the marketplace. With exchange of produce grown for necessities they lacked kept these small business stores viable in the larger network of shipping and supply. Another thing that came to mind was the industry of pelts and the companies that traded for them earlier in our history, building an economic system.
Lubliner.
 
Vote Here:
Wheat was what brought my paternal GGGrandfather to Texas--North Texas, to be precise. When the Butterfield Road opened up in the late 1850s, a lot of small grain (wheat) farmers moved to Cooke and surrounding counties. It looked like a terrific deal--they could grow wheat (wheat flour was virtually unknown in the interior of Texas) and get cheap land. Win-win, right? Except for secession--and the Comanches...

Same here my GGGF and GGGGF came here and used slaves to grow corn and wheat, raise horses/cattle, and having the slave labor also allowed my GGGF to run general stores. One didnt need to grow cotton to thrive, just needed labor to do agriculture on a slightly larger scale thereby allowing larger profits.

The reason we still have the farm today, is when my GGGF joined the MSG and CSA, his father was too old.......so he remained to manage the farm and keep taxes current:D
 
Last edited:
Vote Here:
Back
Top