The Van Trump Report

U.S. Presidents Who Spent a Lot of Time on the Farm

In honor of today’s Presidential election, here’s a look back at those who are said to have spent the most time on a farm. (Source: BayerCrop Sciences; Wiki)
George Washington – Washington was well-known for his efforts to improve American agriculture, and he oversaw a vast plantation in Mount Vernon, Virginia growing tobacco, later switching to grains in 1766.

John Adams – Adams grew up on his family’s farm in Boston and was “naturally interested in increasing the fertility of his land.”

Thomas Jefferson – Characterized as one of America’s early agronomists, Jefferson was focused on practices that returned vital elements back to the soil.

James Monroe – In 1788, the 5th President of the U.S., bought an 800 acre farm in Charlottesville, VA. He later purchased and moved to the Highland plantation next to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello garden.

William Henry Harrison – “Before Harrison stepped into politics to become president, where he served for one month before passing away from pneumonia, he retired from the military to settle into farm life in Ohio.” 

James C. Tyler – Sherwood Forest Plantation was the home and family farm of our 10th president from 1842 until his death in 1862.

Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln’s background in agriculture was typical of most farming experiences and rural life on the American frontier. He would later transform the United States agricultural system by establishing the Department of Agriculture and the Land Grant system through the Homestead Act.

Theodore Roosevelt – Teddy originally went to Dakota to hunt bison, and during an arduous but successful trip, he became interested in cattle ranching and soon invested most of his fortune into the business. After losing his wife and mother to illness, his Dakota ranch “proved an effective medicine for the grieving politician.”

Harry Truman – A $100 per month bank salary couldn’t keep Truman away from farm life. In 1906 he returned to Missouri to work on the family farm. Some of his tasks included feeding the livestock and milking the cows, but what you might not know is that he could “stir up as good a batch of biscuits as any woman.”

Lyndon Johnson – His summers consisted of helping out on his uncle’s cattle ranch in Texas with a desire to own his own piece of the country. Those dreams became a reality when his widowed aunt gave her “dilapidated 250-acre ranch” to the Senator. LBJ Ranch would eventually grow from 250 acres to 2,700, and he managed to keep farm operations running even through his tenure as Senate Majority Leader, Vice-President, and, finally, President.

Jimmy Carter – Georgia’s first and only president, Jimmy Carter, was anxious to join the Navy as he grew up and worked hard to get into Annapolis. After Carter resigned from the Navy to help his family, he flung himself into his family’s peanut farming business before he became involved in politics and ran for President.

Bill Clinton – Clinton spent his childhood on a 400-acre farm with cattle, sheep and goats, and his favorite memories include “going with [his] great-uncle to his plot to help him farm.”12 He picked beans, corn and tomatoes, fed animals and more. Learn more about his thoughts on global agriculture.

George W. Bush – Like LBJ, George W. had a penchant for ranching. His sanctuary of choice is Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas, an almost 1,600-acre property that was known as the “Western White House.”

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