In this informative and place-specific presentation, Debra Reid explores the fascinating and relatively untold story of Illinois’ agricultural history. Catered for each region, this presentation focuses on the history of farming and how that history relates to larger national and international trends in agriculture. Topics include ethnic portraits of farmers settling the state, the ways in which corn became Illinois’ dominant cash crop, and the changes that affected agriculture across the state in the twentieth century.

Recorded Thursday, June 12, 2008 at Robert R. McCormick Museum.