Actually much further back than the 1870’s, because then many people had skills and a work ethic that were suited to that environment. How many black smiths have you seen lately? How many people know how to plough with a horse and have the equipment to do it?
“How many know how to plough with a horse and have the equipment to do it with.”
We are fortunate to have a huge Amish community here, and many neighbors we are friends with do it. Plenty of horses, plows, mechanical planters and pickers, wagons, heritage seed, and lots of people ready to work. Their way of doing things hasnt changed much in 150 years.
Gardners will have a leg up, but few garden to feed in toto, a family