This timeline was created by Ms. Pickard's fourth grade class as they studied the Midwest region of the United States.

Farming in the Midwest:

Farm tools have changed in the past 200 years. For example, in the 1800s farmers had to do everything by hand, but in the 1900s the horses would pull machines. Another example is in 2000 the machines would only take one person to do the work. Working by hand would take 300 hours, by plow it would take 50 hours, and by the machines we have today it takes 4 hours to grow 100 bushels of wheat.  -- by Chris 

Family farms have changed since the olden days.  In the past, 200 years ago, it was hard for farmers to get a lot done on the farm.  For example, it took hours and hours to plant crops with just rakes. Another example is without tractors and other farming machines it is harder to get a lot done on a farm because farmers have to feed pigs, cows, chickens, goats and a lot more. But later in the years farmers started to invent new things, like a tractor. Tractors got cropping done a little bit faster.  In about the 1900s tractors got better and better until they made gas powered tractors and that helped farmers a lot.  Now farmers can do a lot more, faster. -- by Raistlin