The "Golden Age of Agriculture" took place in the United States and
North Dakota between 1900 and 1920. The average gross income of farms
more than doubled during this period, and the value of these farms
more than tripled. Between 1898 and 1915 close to 250,000 pioneers
entered the state of North Dakota and railroad mileage increased from
2,662 to 5,226 miles. In 1905 the Legislature of North Dakota appropriated
$20,000 to advertise the state. In 1909 the United States Congress
passed the Enlarged Homestead Act, which allowed settlers in certain
states to get a 320 acre claim in exchange for five years residency
and making improvements on the land. North Dakota was included under
this law in 1912, and the residence requirement was lowered from five
to three years (seven months of each year for three years).
This booming era in American agriculture also prompted farmers to
increase their acreage and productivity. Between 1898 and 1915 the
acreage of wheat planted in North Dakota more than doubled from 4,300,000
acres to 9,400,000 acres and production grew from 69 million bushels
to 159 million bushels. The increased use of machinery, ever larger
and more powerful, was the key to the farmers' success. Among these
later pioneers was the Pazandak family of Iowa, in search of more
land for their growing family. Farming in North Dakota was not the
same as in Iowa, the Pazandaks quickly learned. They adapted to their
new environment, even planting tree shelterbelts for protection against
the wind. They soon became North Dakota pioneers in the use of tractors
and machinery.