Man on the Land (1951)

that's yourself what makes the Country Strong good question how we've traveled so far on a road that was so long here's the answer oh it's happened lots of every everything we need it's Happ been milk and vegetables and cor for the feed it's have been met for the meat we but it takes more than that to me it's the finest ofin and Work Land the it's the freedom to it's the freedom to travel where a man may want to that's what is an active partner in America's biggest business farming his success is based on a simple formula power means production more power means more production action he takes his power for granted it's always there when he needs it hard to imagine doing without it there wasn't always there and struggle to make the land and nature work for [Music] him oh we don't know for sure how the struggle began but life was mighty hard for the prehistoric man he had to feed himself and his family somewhere oh none of us would be around en joying life today this was one way of getting [Music] food however it had its drawbacks the food supply wouldn't always cooperate it was often a long time between meals he had to find a way to get food when he wanted it what he needed was more strength added power a [Music] weapon but even in those days there were scoffers people with a thousand ways of saying no why wear your arm out with that thing it'll never work there only one way to get me but man was not to be discouraged armed with a weapon he became a hunter As Time passed man improved his weapons he became a skillful [Music] Hunter too skillful animals became scarce to stay alive man had to migrate from place to place always on the move not the sort of Life a man would choose but if he was to go on eating he had to keep following the food supply maybe he did have a choice after [Music] all yes he saw the chance to have a permanent home not the scoffer he wasn't falling for any hairbrained ideas he'd go on wandering the rest of his life but man and his family clung together bravely somehow they managed to survive when spring came their courage was rewarded man went to work building up his reward and made an interesting observation which eventually led him to discover how plants grow seeds buried in the ground water and Sun germination and growth little by little man learned how to work the land later he developed the first crude plow now he was his own Master no longer just living but making a living man had become I'm a farmer he passed the biggest barriers of that early day with many a r to is yet but he was on his way he had freedom to SW to expand and to go and the man on the land where he was going to go with a Dependable food supply population increased families began living together in communities these were the beginning of civilization some men developed other skills trading began the best farmer got the best of the trade which encouraged him to produce more and better crops but there was a limit to what he could produce with the available power this led to another great discovery a it'll never work we've gone as far as we can go man disagreed in the centuries that followed his inventiveness carried him much farther and much faster he traded with other communities with other nations wherever man brought abundance from the land and was free to trade civilization advanced early civilizations arose and were succeeded by others one of the greatest was the Roman Empire when Rome fell Europe entered the Dark Ages Law and Order gave way to Force of Arms to survive Farmers had to buy protection from local Warlords the price was their freedom the farmer was now AER lowest cast in the social order no longer working for himself held in bondage by the Noble on the hill [Music] a man without freedom is a man bound fast a man who is bound to the drudgery of the past he don't dare speak up or call his soul his own and the burden in his heart is like a Lo of stor for centuries there was almost no change in the farmer's way of life and yet man kept alive the dream of Freedom finally word came of a new world where a man could be his own Master many traveled the long road to Freedom it meant going back for a time to A Primitive dangerous life but here they were free to speak think and worship as they wished here man had a chance to grow and get ahead an opportunity that shaped the future of the American Farmer when his freedom was threatened he refused to knock alander he liked his independence and he wanted to be free but they told him to be loyal to a land across the sea so he a declaration then defi the all he OED his gun and waited for the trumpet to call that's what it takes to make a country strong a man on the land who knows the right from the there were scoffers in America too hey why do you want independence why don't you just do what they tell you the man had conquered chose Independence he fought and won it was his land and Worth Fighting For for a land with a promise for many a farmer the promise led him off Over the Horizon he kept pushing the boundaries Westward as population increased more people meant more mouths to feed more land to feed them the farmer needed more power horsepower horsedrawn Machinery still it wasn't enough he doubled tripled quadrupled the horsepower until feeding his work animals took a large part of his land labor labor and time his whole life Was a Race Against [Music] Time at the end of the day his energy was totally used up he had to find another source of power as always the scarfer was on [Music] hand who ever heard of plowing that way don't you know when you're licked still the farmer kept trying so did others the patent office was bombarded with schemes and devices world world's full of lunatics you take those fellas over in Pennsylvania punching a hole in the ground to get oil well what good is it you can burn it in a lamp but that's all H they think they think that thing will run on oil H probably tell you next they'll put wheels on it and make it [Music] go oh they think it'll pull a plow it'll never work the whole idea will blow up Sky High wrong again here blowing Skyhigh was power to revolutionize man's way of life for the farmer power to run the tractor outperforming any number of work animals and no crops required to feed it a Nationwide race began to meet the demand for oil southeast west they search the country wherever liquid power was hidden underground power enough for every need power enough to M Power enough to build a future brighter and the hundreds of companies were formed little and big all competing for a share of the business machine manufacturers were also in competition to build cheaper more efficient tractors and other kinds of farm machinery petroleum powered vehicles of All Sorts trucks to haul farm products to Market on roads converted from dust to Asphalt by petroleum as Farms became more mechanized more and more farm products flowed to Market Farmers cultivated many times more land raised many times more crops per man acre than ever before and over the years everyone has shared in the benefits for progress is the stepping stone to a better life and everyone can share it with the farmer and his wife there's time to relax and get around and once more time to do a better job than never before yes time to keep up with the latest information from the county agent and land grant colleges the Wide Awake farmer keeps improving his crops and stock for this Keen rivalry among Farmers each year they Supply the public with better products and they demand the same from the industries that Supply them more and better insecticides weed killers fur izers better lubricants to protect Machinery against the wear and tear of friction and continually better fuels the demand for oil products keeps increasing there are always scoffers uh-uh you're heading for trouble pretty soon there won't be any oil [Music] left wrong again new techniques are even bringing old Wells back to life new fields are being opened up all over the world new drilling methods to tap oil pools miles underground better refining new techniques to conserve every drop of oil as it has in the past America's oil industry made up of thousands of PR will continue to supply the power we need power for the farmer to accomplish a job that's now worldwide in spoke for today American food reaches half is link with farmer has come a long way in his struggle to make the land and nature work for him but tomorrow promises even greater abundance abundance created by the free American man on the land in partnership with American industry and its power together they will work to ensure our strength and preserve our climate of Freedom you cultivate your freedom like you cultivate your land you guard against its enemies on each and every hand you keep yourself awake and you're ready to fight to sacrifice the things you have for what you know is right that's what it takes to make a country strong a man on the land will know the right from the wrong [Music]