Trace Your Farming Roots

Although most of us do not consider ourselves farmers, most of us have some type of agricultural root in our family history. As we look deeper into the history of our families, we can also look at historical events that impacted the way our families lived.

 My great-grandparents, Eli and Olga Pali, were immigrants to the United States from the small country of Albania. My grandfather first landed in New York and worked as a dishwasher. The mining of silver then drove him to Nevada where he made enough money to return to Albania to claim his bride and take her back to America. When they returned, he had just enough money to buy a small plot of land in Elwood, Utah on which he would start his farm. Eli and Olga's first year of farming began in 1929, the year the Great Depression struck. During World War I many farmers had been successful in their crops but had gone into large amounts of debt. When prices began to fall, farmer's tried to produce more in the hopes of paying off their debts. Unfortunately, prices were dropping too quickly and by the time the depression hit, many had either went bankrupt or lost their farm. Fortunately for Eli, he had no debt but still was forced to weather the storm. The depression forced families to become self sufficient. Eli and Olga's main cash crop was beets, but they also learned to farm wheat, barley, and a garden of fruits and vegetables. They also raised livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens to supply meat, milk, and eggs. They learned to survive on very little money and provide for themselves. Amidst their struggles, they somehow managed to make it out of the depression while still keeping the farm.

 After the depression, Eli and Olga found a way to make it back on to their feet and slowly but surely grew quite a successful beet farm. The Utah and Idaho Sugar Factory was booming so business was plentiful. By 1940, a new government company began hooking up farmhouses to electricity which began to make farm life easier. In 1945, farming began moving away from the traditional horse power to tractor power. In 1946 my great-grandfather bought his first tractor. This invention changed life on the farm forever. Since he could now farm faster and for a longer amount of time without tiring, Eli invested in 50 more acres of land for his farm. He sold the majority of his dairy cows and horses since all of his time could now be committed to farming beets. They produced so many beets, that by the time they had made their profits they still had enough to feed their family. In 1980, the U and I Sugar factory closed its doors, which forced the Pali's to farm a different cash crop. From then on they became onion farmers and later gave the farm to their eldest son in 1986.

 It was extremely interesting to talk to my dad about his grandparents and the link our family has within the farming community. Many events could have ended my great-grandparents farm, but they continued to work hard and made a very happy life farming. If we dig deep enough, I think all of us can tie our roots back to agriculture.



 Reinhardt, Claudia, and Bill Ganzel. "Farming in the 1930's." Living History Farm, The Ganzel Group, 2003, www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_01.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2017.

 Speilmaker, Debra. "Historical Timeline- 1930's." Growing A Nation- The Story of American Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, 2014, www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/1930.htm. Accessed 22 Jan. 2017.