103: Grapes of Wrath

During the Great Depression, as millions of Americans went hungry, and 2/3rds of families were in poverty, famers across the country destroyed their crops- burning wheat, cracking eggs, and pouring out milk. This episode explores the history of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, and asks: what kind of society would burn food while its people starve?

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Sources and Further Reading

Portland police officers ‘guarding’ Fred Meyer dumpsters as residents seek discarded food: Link

AGRICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT ACT (1933, REAUTHORIZED 1938): Link

New Deal, Third: Link

Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1935: Link

From the Great Depression to Today, a Long History of Food Destruction in the Face of Hunger: Link

HUNGER IN AMERICA: The Definitions, Scope, Causes, History and Status of the Problem of Hunger in the United States: Link

Hunger in America: Link

What Causes Capitalist Crises: Under-Consumption or Overproduction?: Link