| The family farm of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries symbolizes many of the traits that Americans hold dearest. They are lauded for their independent nature, frugality, dignity, hard work, and responsibility to the community. With the rise of industrialization in the nineteenth century, the family farms were challenged to remain farms while holding onto their special characteristics. Dairying was one specialized type of farming that farmers chose to maximize profits in order to keep their farms. During the nineteenth century farmers were able to produce dairy products with little need for specialized tools, methods, or scientific improvements. Farmers in the twentieth century needed to implement scientific management skills in order to become a specialized, profitable dairy industry. Yeoman farmers had to compromise many of their traditions in the transition from subsistence farming to scientifically managed dairy farming. |
