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Illinois exhibit captures Lincoln’s vision of agriculture

By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — June 15 was the unveiling of The Agricultural Vision of Abraham Lincoln exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. Prior to its opening, Tom Jennings, Illinois director of agriculture, talked about the importance of this exhibit for those in the farm community.

“Abraham Lincoln was so far ahead of his time,” he explained. “He was innovative. It is an honor to have this display in Springfield; it is a big deal.”

Jennings also talked of the importance of agriculture, referring in part to a proposed cut of approximately $30 million in the Department of Agriculture budget. He said it is exhibits like this one that allow the public to learn about agriculture and understand the importance of the industry.

“One in four jobs is tied to the agricultural economy,” he said. “Abraham Lincoln started the United States Department of Agriculture. He was a visionary back then.”

James Cornelius, curator of the Lincoln Collection at the museum, agreed. “Agriculture was something he felt strongly about from an early age. He knew what farmers faced,” he said.

“At 18, he went from Indiana to New Orleans with a boatload of farm goods, just he and another fellow. It is astounding how far it is from Indiana to there – it is 1,200 miles or so, round trip.
“It is a long way, and he was attacked by pirates. That is what it took to get a good price for Midwestern farmers,” he added.

Such trips emphasized to Lincoln the importance of a good transportation network to get the crop to market. A fast trip would help avoid spoilage and loss. At the time Lincoln appointed the first secretary of agriculture in 1862, it was clear to him that the North had a better transportation system than the South. He felt it would take the federal government to provide transportation systems and pass along the important marketing information that farmers needed.

“The federal government was not much involved with farmers,” Cornelius said. “Farmers learned the new scientific discoveries through letters and newspapers. The new USDA was a tool Lincoln felt could be used to spread new techniques that could make a huge difference.

“Lincoln was also responsible for the recording of weather events. It was a shock, and farmers resisted when they were asked to report – they couldn’t understand the importance of that. This is just another instance of early agriculture and where weather forecasting and data collection began.”

Cornelius explained the transportation system, railroads and ability to export products was what Lincoln thought it would take to replace slave labor products for a slave-free North to be competitive.
 The exhibit includes a variety of items, such as an ox yoke made by Lincoln, of walnut and hickory. Other family items include a letter from Lincoln to John Hanks about breaking the prairie with an ox team. There is an original printing of Lincoln’s Wisconsin Agricultural Fair address, with his statement that there was great need for scientific progress in agriculture.

At several listening stations, visitors can hear accounts of the “milk sickness,” Lincoln’s farm experiences and descriptions of the agricultural landscape in his day. In two mini-theaters visitors can watch presentations on farm life to the 1940s and the complexities of modern 21st century ag practices.

An antique tractor show is planned for July 25 on the streets adjacent to the Presidential Museum (see related article). A family program on cooking and preserving methods will be set for August, and several other programs will be announced in coming months.
For more information on this display and programs, visit www.presidentlincoln.org

7/8/2009