For much of U.S. history, farming had been the most important means of earning a living for Americans. A healthy agricultural economy was essential to the nation's overall economic health. Yet perhaps more than any other group of Americans, farmers experienced wide swings between prosperity and poverty during the early twentieth century. The years between 1909 and 1914 were frequently referred to as the "golden age of U.S. agriculture." Farm production and farm prices both rose steadily. During World War I (1914–18) food production in Europe was severely disrupted, and American agriculture further expanded to supply Europeans with food. However, with the end of the war Europeans resumed food production, and the market for American products declined by the early 1920s. Prices for farm products dropped dramatically. For example, wheat that sold for $2.94 a bushel in 1920 sold for $1.00 in 1929 and $0.30 by 1932. Nevertheless, farmers continued to...