Texas, Cotton, and the New Deal

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In the early 1930s, cotton was produced in 223 of the 254 counties in Texas and was a central element in the state's economy. The Great Depression created a major disruption that threatened to destabilize the entire Lone Star State. Keith J. Volanto relates the story of the New Deal's efforts to aid Texas cotton farmers, specifically with the production-control policies introduced by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). He explores the reasons the AAA cotton programs in Texas were instituted, the implementation problems the AAA encountered and how they were resolved, and the results of the programs. He draws conclusions concerning how well Texans benefited from the AAA cotton programs and about those who were actually harmed by them. In addition, Volanto also examines the role of Texas politicians and bureaucrats in formulating the policies in Washington and the importance of Texas to New Deal cotton policy broadly. Volanto's account of the AAA cotton programs in Texas is a study not only of agriculture policy but also of the New Deal itself. The experience of the AAA--the political, economic, and legal constraints it faced--provides new insight into the nature of New Deal commodity programs. Very little has previously been written on farm subsidy programs and their impact on Texas during the 1930s and the AAA's cotton programs that were implemented at the state level. Texas, Cotton, and the New Deal fills this void.