In 2010, the political landscape of Wyoming was defined by a Republican-dominant government which had held control over the state since 1975. The state’s governor at the time was Republican Dave Freudenthal, who had been in office since 2003. In addition to Freudenthal, all three members of the state’s congressional delegation were also Republicans; Senator…
Category: North America
STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN AGRICULTURE
The US agricultural economy has shown considerable regional and structural dynamics over the past few decades. The focus of cattle fattening was originally on small and medium-sized farms in the former Corn Belt. The number of livestock per farm was relatively low there. The feed required for fattening was produced on our own land. A completely different production model was pursued in the west of the Great Plains with the establishment of feedlots. In the meantime, the number of feedlots has decreased significantly overall, at the same time the size structure has shifted in favor of very large units and the spatial focus has shifted to the states of the southern plains.
Various innovations were decisive for this development. Automatic feeding systems and vaccines, which considerably reduced the risk of epidemics in large animal populations, favored keeping large herds. Large-scale irrigation farming made it possible to produce animal feed on a large scale in the southern states of the Great Plains. The practical implementation of these innovations was only possible in large companies with efficient management due to the capital required. The capital requirement was met by industrialists and freelancers who were interested in investing in the agricultural sector through tax regulations.
Since larger fattening farms can better meet the year-round demand for a constant number of animals on the part of the slaughterhouses and the necessary investments in large plants are more likely to pay off, increasingly extensive feedlots have emerged – also through takeovers and mergers. They were mainly built in the western and southwestern parts of the country. There was sufficient space available there, and due to the lower settlement density there were fewer requirements for environmental protection.
The Great Plains extend as a strip up to 500 kilometers wide east of the Rocky Mountains. They are about 5.5 times the size of Germany and one of the central agricultural areas in the USA. The focus is on the cultivation of maize, soy, wheat and millet as well as cattle breeding. When it comes to the production of corn, soybeans and beef, the USA occupies a leading position worldwide.
The map shows the spatial structures of land use in the Great Plains in connection with natural vegetation. Their distribution is determined by the amount of precipitation decreasing from east to west. A zonal sequence in crop cultivation running from east to west is therefore clearly recognizable. For more information about the continent of North America, please check thesciencetutor.org.
Wisconsin 2010
In 2010, Wisconsin’s politics were largely dominated by the gubernatorial race between incumbent Democratic Governor Jim Doyle and Republican challenger Scott Walker. The election was seen as a referendum on Doyle’s record, which included tax increases and cuts to public education. Walker ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility, promising to cut taxes and reduce…
West Virginia 2010
The politics of West Virginia in 2010 were heavily influenced by the state’s long-standing conservative leanings. In the 2010 gubernatorial election, Republican candidate Bill Maloney narrowly defeated the Democratic candidate, Joe Manchin III. Maloney ran on a platform of fiscal conservatism and pro-business policies, while Manchin campaigned on his record as Governor of West Virginia…
Washington 2010
In 2010, the politics in Washington was defined by a divided government with Democrats controlling the White House and Senate while Republicans held the majority in the House of Representatives. This created an atmosphere of gridlock as both parties struggled to find common ground on key issues. The Obama Administration had a number of legislative…
Virginia 2010
In 2010, Virginia was in the midst of a heated political climate. The gubernatorial race between Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds was one of the main attractions of the year. McDonnell ultimately won the race by a wide margin, becoming Virginia’s first Republican governor since 1993. The state Senate also saw some changes…
Vermont 2010
In 2010, politics in Vermont were dominated by the Democratic Party. Governor Jim Douglas, a Republican, was in his final term and his successor would be chosen in November of that year. In the gubernatorial race, Peter Shumlin emerged as the Democratic candidate, while Brian Dubie ran as the Republican candidate. Shumlin ultimately won the…
Utah 2010
In 2010, Utah was a state dominated by the Republican Party, with Republicans holding all five of the state’s congressional seats, as well as both chambers of the state legislature. This was largely due to the fact that Utah had been a reliably red state since 1968, voting for Republican presidential candidates in every election…
Texas 2010
In 2010, Texas was a politically divided state. On one side, there were Republicans, who had held power in the Texas House of Representatives since 2003 and had controlled the governorship since 1995. On the other side were Democrats, who had been out of power in both chambers for over a decade. This divide was…
Tennessee 2010
In 2010, Tennessee was governed by a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled state legislature. The Governor of Tennessee in 2010 was Phil Bredesen, who had been elected to the office in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. Bredesen was term-limited and his successor, Bill Haslam, was elected in November of that year. In the state legislature,…
South Dakota 2010
In 2010, South Dakota was in an interesting political climate. At the time, the state was governed by Republican Governor Mike Rounds and a majority Republican legislature. The Republican Party had a strong hold on the state since the late 1990s, when then-Governor Bill Janklow was elected. The state Senate was controlled by Republicans since…
South Carolina 2010
In 2010, South Carolina experienced a significant shift in political power. The Republican Party had been steadily gaining strength since the 1990s and in 2010 they gained control of both the state House and Senate for the first time since Reconstruction. This shift was largely due to the increasing number of conservative voters in the…
Rhode Island 2010
In 2010, Rhode Island was entering a new era of politics with many changes taking place. The state had a Democratic Governor, Donald Carcieri, and the General Assembly was controlled by the Democrats. This marked the first time in 50 years that Democrats held a majority in both chambers of the General Assembly. The election…
Pennsylvania 2010
In 2010, Pennsylvania was a politically active state with a variety of issues affecting its citizens. The gubernatorial election of 2010 saw Republican Tom Corbett defeat Democrat Dan Onorato. Corbett ran on a platform of reducing taxes, increasing jobs, and balancing the state budget. He also advocated for educational reform and increased funding for law…
Oregon 2010
In 2010, the political scene in Oregon was dominated by the gubernatorial election. Incumbent Governor Ted Kulongoski had been in office since 2003 and was seeking a third term, but his popularity had waned due to a series of controversial decisions. He was challenged by Republican Chris Dudley who campaigned on a platform of fiscal…
Oklahoma 2010
2010 was a year of great political upheaval in Oklahoma. In the November 2010 election, Republicans took control of the state legislature for the first time in decades, and by January 2011, Republicans held all statewide offices. This shift in power marked a major realignment in Oklahoma politics, as Republicans had previously been a minority…
Ohio 2010
In 2010, Ohio was a swing state in the national political landscape. The Democratic Party held the majority of statewide offices and both U.S. Senate seats, while Republicans controlled the Ohio House of Representatives and held one of the state’s two U.S. House of Representatives seats. This balance of power created a competitive environment between…
North Dakota 2010
In 2010, North Dakota was a state that was heavily dominated by the Republican Party. There were Republican majorities in both the state House and Senate, and all of the statewide elected offices were held by Republicans. In the U.S. Senate, both seats were held by Republicans with Kent Conrad representing the state since 1987…
North Carolina 2010
In 2010, North Carolina was a politically divided state. The Democrats held the majority in both the state House and Senate. Governor Bev Perdue was a Democrat who had been elected governor in 2008 with 51.7 percent of the vote. The Republican Party held a majority in the North Carolina Supreme Court and numerous other…
New York 2010
In 2010, New York was an important center of political activity. The state’s two U.S. Senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, were both re-elected in the November election and continued to serve in their positions representing the state in Washington D.C. In terms of gubernatorial politics, Governor David Paterson was replaced by Andrew Cuomo who…
New Mexico 2010
In 2010, New Mexico was a hotbed of political activity, with a variety of important issues at the forefront. The state had recently experienced a major shift in power from the Republican to Democratic Party, and this new political landscape brought about a number of changes. On the state level, Governor Bill Richardson was in…
New Jersey 2010
New Jersey politics in 2010 were marked by a number of significant events and changes. The state was governed by Democrat Jon Corzine, who had been elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2009. As governor, Corzine pushed for a number of progressive policies, such as raising the minimum wage and increasing funding for public schools….
New Hampshire 2010
In 2010, New Hampshire was a politically vibrant state with a wide array of issues being discussed and debated. The two major political parties in the state were the Democratic and Republican Parties, with the latter holding a majority in both houses of the legislature. The biggest issue that dominated the political discourse in 2010…
Nevada 2010
In 2010, Nebraska was in the midst of a period of political stability and continuity. The Republican Party had held a majority in the state legislature since 1996, and controlled the Governor’s office since 1998. This period of Republican control was largely due to the popularity of former Governor Dave Heineman who served from 2005…
Nebraska 2010
Nebraska politics in 2010 were heavily influenced by the national political landscape. The state was still controlled by the Republican Party, who had held a majority of seats in both houses of the legislature since 1994. Governor Dave Heineman, a Republican, was re-elected in 2006 and his second term ended in January 2011. On the…
Montana 2010
In 2010, Montana was a red state, meaning that the Republican Party held the majority of seats in the Montana Legislature. The Republican Party had a majority in both chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Republicans also held all five statewide offices, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and…
Missouri 2010
In 2010, the political landscape in Missouri was dominated by the Republican Party. In the state’s gubernatorial race, incumbent Republican Governor Matt Blunt was running for a second term against Democratic candidate Jay Nixon. Blunt had been elected to office four years prior and had worked to reduce taxes and balance the state budget. However,…
Mississippi 2010
In 2010, Mississippi was a predominantly Republican state with a strong conservative leaning. The state’s Governor was Haley Barbour, a Republican who had been in office since 2004. Republicans also held majority control of both the House and Senate, with the majority of the Senate being held by Republicans since 2008. During this period, Mississippi’s…
Minnesota 2010
In 2010, Minnesota was a battleground state in the mid-term elections. In the gubernatorial election, the Republican Party candidate Tom Emmer ran against Democrat Mark Dayton. Dayton ultimately won the election with 46 percent of the vote, while Emmer earned 42 percent. This close race demonstrated Minnesota’s split between Republicans and Democrats and highlighted how…
Michigan 2010
In 2010, Michigan was a politically contested state. The gubernatorial race saw incumbent Governor Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, facing off against Republican challenger Rick Snyder. Granholm had been governor since 2003 and was facing an uphill battle due to the state’s struggling economy. She proposed several initiatives to try and stimulate job growth, including tax…
Massachusetts 2010
In 2010, Massachusetts was governed by a Democratic majority in both the state legislature and the governor’s office. The Governor at the time was Deval Patrick, who had been elected in 2006 and was serving his second term. Under his leadership, Massachusetts had become one of the most progressive states in the nation, passing laws…
Maryland 2010
In 2010, Maryland was a state governed by the Democratic Party. This was in keeping with the state’s long history of being a Democratic stronghold. In the 2006 election, Democrats swept all statewide offices and won majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. In 2010, Democrats maintained their control of the state legislature and…
Maine 2010
Maine had a tumultuous political environment in 2010. The state was in the midst of a heated gubernatorial race between incumbent Governor John Baldacci and his Republican challenger Paul LePage. In addition, there were several competitive races for U.S. Senate and Congressional seats as well as local elections. The gubernatorial race was particularly contentious with…
Louisiana 2010
In 2010, Louisiana was led by a Republican governor, Bobby Jindal, who had been in power since 2008. Under his tenure, the state had seen significant improvements in terms of economic growth and job creation. During this period, unemployment had decreased from 7.3% to 6.2%, and the state’s GDP had grown by 4%. Jindal also…
Kentucky 2010
In 2010, Kentucky was in the midst of a heated political battle between the Democratic and Republican parties. Democrats held a majority in both houses of the state legislature, while Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher had been in office since 2003. The two parties clashed on issues such as education, healthcare, and taxes. The 2010 congressional…
Kansas 2010
In 2010, Kansas was a state that was politically divided. The Republican Party held the majority of seats in both the Kansas House of Representatives and the Kansas Senate, as well as the Governorship and all four U.S. House of Representative seats. Meanwhile, Democrats held all five statewide elected offices, including the offices of Secretary…
Iowa 2010
In 2010, the politics of Iowa were dominated by the Democratic Party. This party had a majority in the state legislature and controlled both the state Senate and House of Representatives. The governor at this time was Chet Culver, a Democrat who had been elected in 2006 and was re-elected for a second term in…
Indiana 2010
The politics in Indiana during 2010 were largely dominated by the Republican Party as they held a majority in both the state House and Senate. In January, Governor Mitch Daniels was sworn into his second term and he worked to pass new legislation that focused on tax reform, job creation, and public education. The state…
Illinois 2010
In 2010, Illinois was a Democratic stronghold with the Democratic Party controlling both chambers of the state legislature and the executive branch. The Governor at the time was Pat Quinn who had been elected in 2009 and he was joined by Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon. The state legislature consisted of 59 members in the Senate…
Idaho 2010
Idaho politics in 2010 were dominated by the gubernatorial race between incumbent Governor Butch Otter and Democratic challenger Keith Allred. On November 2nd, Governor Otter was re-elected for a second term with a majority of the votes. In addition to the gubernatorial race, Idahoans also voted on several ballot measures that year, including a measure…
Hawaii 2010
In 2010, Hawaii saw a shift in politics as the Democratic Party continued to maintain a majority in the state legislature. This was largely due to the election of Neil Abercrombie as governor, who had been a member of the House of Representatives since 1991. Under his leadership, Hawaii became one of only two states…