"A wise man. That was, and still is to some degree, the Jewish stereotype. I had never heard of a Jewish farmer until this."
There were many Jewish farmers in Eastern Europe, for example my paternal grandfathers side who emigrated from the Bukowina district in the Carpathian Mountain foothills. There were many others through what is now Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Beylorussia, Russia, etc.
I know some older Jews whose families had farms in the Catskills. The original Woodstock took place on Max Yasgur's upstate farm and Yasgur was Jewish
Yeah, he's never heard of Tevyeh?
Incidentally, one of the big reasons there were so few Jewish farmers was of course the fact that there were not allowed to own land in the old country. That'll put a hitch in the development of agrarian skills.
I suppose my stereo is much more modern. In the years of yore most of the population was rural so it seems natural that Jews would be part of that. However, Jews seem to be such excellent businessmen it is natural to think of them in that role.