The Father of Modern Agriculture

The Father of Modern Agriculture “My father was a farmer, my grandfather was an inventor”, these were the words of my grandmother, Lavonne Holland. She was speaking proudly about my great-great grandfather, the inventor, Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809-1884). She also told me, “Not many people know who Cyrus McCormick is these days, but his memory will live forever in the fields of waving grain”(Holland). The most important thing my Grandmother said to me was, “…

…of Cyrus McCormick is the story of the world’s emancipation from farm labor. For centuries men and women had spent many long backbreaking hours laboring in the fields, fields not limited by how much grain that could be grown, but limited by how much grain that could be cut. It is important to look back in time to understand how technology has changed our lives, and to give credit to the founders of technology.