143 Oats & Hay - Grass Powers the Early 19th Century World

The History of American Food · Apr 16, 2025 · 32m

As odd as it sounds, there was a time in American Food before oatmeal.

And while that's wild on it's own, even more impossible to imagine is how much of agriculture used to be dedicated simply to growing food to feed the animals that allowed you to run the farm. Having solar panels and biodigesters to create power on the farm now is pretty wild... but it wasn't that long ago, all things considered when all the energy used on a farm was grown... on the farm!

But it does help put into perspective how much energy it took to simply grow enough food for the farm - and then a little more to sell…