Part 5
The Farming Economy of Central Texas
In 1933, the farming economy in Central Texas, including areas like San Saba County, was severely strained due to the overlapping effects of the Great Depression and environmental challenges. The agricultural sector, heavily reliant on cotton, livestock, and some diversification into crops like corn and sorghum, faced plummeting prices and widespread hardship. Cotton prices, a cornerstone of the region's economy, had dropped dramatically from their post-World War I highs, falling to around five to six cents per pound by 1931 and remaining low into 1933, as demand collapsed with the broader economic downturn. This price crash, combined with overproduction from the 1920s, left many farmers, especially sharecroppers and smallholders, unable to cover debts or sustain operations. (18)
The situation was exacerbated by a major drought in the early 1930s, which intensified in 1933 across the southern plains, including Central Texas. This drought reduced crop yields and livestock health, with water shortages and parched land making farming increasingly unviable. The Dust Bowl's early effects, though more pronounced in the Texas Panhandle, began to influence Central Texas with soil erosion and dust storms, further degrading agricultural productivity. (19)
Relief efforts emerged with the New Deal's Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933, which aimed to boost prices by paying farmers to reduce production—such as plowing under cotton crops. However, the immediate impact was mixed; while some farmers received modest financial relief, the policy accelerated the displacement of tenant farmers and sharecroppers, who were often forced off the land as landowners consolidated holdings. In Central Texas, where small farms dominated, this led to increased rural poverty and out-migration. (20)
Livestock production, another key element, also suffered. Cattle and sheep prices fell, and drought conditions weakened herds. Overall, the farming economy in Central Texas in 1933 was marked by economic collapse, environmental stress, and tentative government intervention, leaving most rural families in a precarious state. (21)