September 21 has been a consequential date across generations of American agriculture — from the birth of federal grain market oversight a century ago, to storms that reshaped regional farm economies, to modern relief and advocacy efforts that helped producers navigate crises.
The law that built modern grain markets (1922)
On September 21, 1922, President Warren G. Harding signed the Grain Futures Act, a landmark law that laid the groundwork for today’s regulation of agricultural derivatives. Coming just months after the Supreme Court struck down the Futures Trading Act of 1921 in Hill v. Wallace, Congress recast federal authority under the Commerce Clause and constructed a durable framework to police manipulation and foster transparent price discovery in grain.
The act required exchanges to be federally recognized as “contract markets,” empowered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to collect trading data and enforce rules against corners and false reporting, and established what became the Grain Futures Administration. The Supreme Court upheld the new approach in Board of Trade v. Olsen (1923), cementing federal jurisdiction over commodity futures.
The Grain Futures Act was later subsumed by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936 and, in 1974, dedicated oversight moved to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. But the 1922 statute’s legacy endures in the principles that still anchor agricultural market integrity: transparency, accountability, and fair access for hedgers and commercial users.
A storm that remade New England’s farm landscape (1938)
On September 21, 1938, the Great New England Hurricane — often called the “Long Island Express” — roared ashore with devastating speed and force. It ripped across Long Island and into southern New England, flattening barns, toppling trees, and inundating low-lying cropland with storm surge and freshwater floods at harvest time.
For agriculture, the timing and geography compounded the damage. Apple orchards across New York and New England lost vast portions of their crop to windfall and salt burn, and many trees were uprooted entirely. In the Connecticut River Valley, prized shade-grown tobacco fields and curing sheds were battered, with structures crumpling under hurricane-force gusts. Cranberry bogs in southeastern Massachusetts flooded just as picking was set to begin, while dairy farms lost power and access as roads washed out. The storm also reshaped woodlots and sugar bushes, altering the region’s farm-forest mosaic for decades.
Beyond immediate losses, the hurricane spurred changes in farm risk management and infrastructure — from sturdier tobacco barns to improved drainage and diversification that could better withstand extreme weather, a lesson that resonates in today’s climate era.
Music, advocacy, and the family farm (2019)
On September 21, 2019, Farm Aid brought tens of thousands to Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley Music Theatre for a day-long concert and an on-the-ground forum for farm advocates. Founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young — and often joined by Dave Matthews — Farm Aid uses music to raise funds and national attention for family farmers, offering direct support, hotline services, and policy advocacy.
The 2019 gathering spotlighted the Upper Midwest’s dairy crisis, the pressures of consolidation and low milk prices, and the ripple effects of trade tensions, giving producers a national stage to share realities from the barn and the balance sheet. As much as a concert, Farm Aid functions as an annual pulse-check on the health of America’s independent farm sector.
Pandemic relief applications open to producers (2020)
On September 21, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened sign-up for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2), delivering additional direct aid to producers as COVID-19 continued to upend markets and supply chains. The program made assistance available across a broad swath of agriculture — row crops, livestock, dairy, and specialty crops — using a mix of rate-based and sales-based formulas to reflect disparate pandemic impacts.
CFAP 2, capitalized with up to $14 billion, extended a financial bridge for farms facing volatile prices, disrupted processing capacity, and shifting foodservice demand. It also accelerated digital and remote-service adoption at Farm Service Agency offices, changes that have continued to influence how producers access federal programs.
Why these moments still matter
- Market trust: The 1922 regulatory blueprint remains the backbone of credible price discovery and risk management for grain and oilseed producers.
- Climate resilience: The 1938 hurricane is a historical touchstone for the kind of extreme weather stress farms increasingly plan for — structurally, financially, and agronomically.
- Community and voice: Farm Aid’s 2019 stop in dairy country underscored how culture and coalition-building can translate farm realities into public understanding and policy momentum.
- Crisis response: CFAP 2’s launch date marks how quickly programs must mobilize to keep farms operating through systemic shocks.
On this date — a quick timeline
- 1922: Grain Futures Act becomes law, charting the path for federal oversight of commodity futures.
- 1938: The Great New England Hurricane makes landfall, inflicting widespread harvest-season losses.
- 2019: Farm Aid convenes in Wisconsin, focusing national attention on family farm challenges.
- 2020: USDA opens CFAP 2 applications, extending COVID-19 relief to producers nationwide.
Taken together, these September 21 milestones trace a throughline from institutional scaffolding and disaster lessons to advocacy and rapid-response policy — the evolving toolkit that has helped American agriculture produce, adapt, and endure.