"To support his theory, Cunfer looks at the entire Great Plains (450 counties in ten states), tapping historical agricultural census data paired with GIS mapping to illuminate land use on the Great Plains over 130 years. Coupled with several community and family case studies, this database allows Cunfer to reassess the interaction between farmers and nature in the Great Plains agricultural landscape."--BOOK JACKET.

A study of the changes initiated into the systems and culture of the plain dwellers

Contains tool descriptions providing a basis for the analysis of existing product lines as examples for the design of new systems, including illustrations of and background material on control systems for the extrusion process. A half-century of diary entries made by a persevering West Texas farmer record his life and reflect the concerns and events of Great Plains farmers as various elements of government, the economy, and natural conditions came into play. Editor Neugebauer supplies pertinent background interspersed throughout. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The numbers of farms and farmers on the Great Plains are dwindling. Disappearing even faster are the farm places—the houses, barns, and outbuildings that made the rural landscape a place of habitation. Nancy Warner's photographs tell the stories of buildings that were once loved yet have now been abandoned. Her evocative images are juxtaposed with the voices of Nebraska farm people, lovingly recorded by sociologist David Stark. These plainspoken recollections tell of a way of life that continues to evolve in the face of wrenching change. Warner's spare, formal photographs invite readers to listen to the cadences and tough-minded humor of everyday speech in the Great Plains. Stark's afterword grounds the project in the historical relationship between people and their land. In the tradition of Wright Morris, this combination of words and images is both art and document, evoking memories, emotions, and questions for anyone with rural American roots.