In the late 1970s, grain prices had tanked, farm auction notices
filled newspapers, and people had forgotten that food didn't grow in
grocery stores. So, on February 5, 1979, thousands of tractors from all
parts of the US flooded Washington, DC, in protest.
Author Lindsay H. Metcalf, a journalist who grew up on a family farm,
shares this rarely told story of grassroots perseverance and economic
justice. In 1979, US farmers traveled to Washington, DC to protest
unfair prices for their products. Farmers wanted fair prices for their
products and demanded action from Congress. After police corralled the
tractors on the National Mall, the farmers and their tractors stayed
through a snowstorm and dug out the city. Americans were now convinced
they needed farmers, but the law took longer. Boldly told and
highlighted with stunning archival images, this is the story of the
struggle and triumph of the American farmer that still resonates today.