Net income of farm operators in the United States 1910-1941

From 1910 until 1941, net income from farming fluctuated greatly. Income peaked at 8.8 billion U.S. dollars in the late 1910s, after the U.S. joined the First World War in 1917, which caused agricultural demand to skyrocket. Production then rose to meet this demand, but the war's end resulted in a surplus of goods which drove down crop prices and led to a farming crisis in the early-1920s.

Great Depression

After recovery in the late-1920s, the Great Depression saw agricultural and rural sectors become some of the hardest-hit industries in the economy, as crop prices fell once more and international trade tariffs were raised. A scenario emerged where returns were so low that farmers were losing money by taking their goods to market - a large share of agricultural produce spoiled or was destroyed as a result, all while much of the population was going hungry. This was compounded by a series of droughts and sandstorms (known as the Dust Bowl) in the South and Midwest, which led to crop failure in many areas. Many farmers' homes were foreclosed, and rural eviction rates were high. This saw the concept of the penny auction emerging - this was where neighbors would go to home auctions, intimidate potential buyers, purchase the house, and return it to its original owner - however, most farmers were not lucky enough to have this support, especially Black sharecroppers, and many families migrated westward or to urban areas in search of opportunities.

Recovery

Federal relief via the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) helped stabilize the agricultural sector after 1933, as part of the New Deal. The AAA granted subsidies for farmers who limited their production, therefore increasing crop prices and rejuvenating the agricultural sector (although this system unintentionally favored larger landowners over sharecroppers). The government also bought large numbers of livestock for slaughter, as a means of rapidly injecting capital into the industry. Initially, a tax was levied against large companies that processes agricultural produce (namely food, textile, and cigarette companies) in order to fund the AAA, but the Supreme Court ruled this as unconstitutional in 1936, and the government funded these subsidies from 1938 onward.