Agricultural Wheel

The Agricultural Wheel was a cooperative alliance of farmers in the United States, which sprung up almost spontaneously in 1882. A major founding organizers of the Agricultural Wheel was W.W. Tedford an Arkansas farmer and school teacher. The Agricultural Wheel, like other farm protest organizations--the Southern Farmers' Alliance, the Louisiana Farmers' Union. and the Brothers of Freedom--the Agricultural Wheel had been formed to correct the injustices and oppressions done to the small farmers of the United States by merchants, grain elevators and the railroads.

Centered largely in the state of Arkansas the Agricultural Wheel sought association with other farm protest organizations outside the state of Arkansas. Because of the identity of the goals of these various groups merger talks had begun as early as 1887 between these protest groups. Besides the similarity of their political goals the Agricultural Wheel and the other farm protest organization shared the same organizational structure. The Agricultural Wheel and the other farm protest organizations anticipating merger were organized on the basis of small clubs of farmers organized at the neighborhood level. Even organization at the county level had proved to be impractical. County level organization was too large and not "local enough." In the 1880s, small farmers rarely journeyed to the county seat of their home counties. The Agricultural Wheel continued to exist as a separate organization until 1889 when it merged with the National Farmers' Alliance to form the Farmers' and Laborers' Union of America.

On February 15, 1882, during a period of depressed farm prices and drought, a group of nine Arkansas farmers led by W. W. Tetford, W. A. Suit and W. Taylor McBee met at the McBee Schoolhouse eight miles south of Des Arc in Prairie County in eastern Arkansas and formed the Wattensas Farmers' Club. The club vowed to improve the lives of farmers, improve their education and knowledge, and improve communications between them. Many Arkansas farmers were suffering under what they viewed as oppressive mortgages (known as anaconda mortgages) and were heavily in debt.

Within a short time it was suggested that the organization change its name. The choices were between "The Poor Man's Friend" and "The Agricultural Wheel" which was the name finally selected.

The situation did not improve in Arkansas that year and farmers were in such desperate straits that they called upon Governor Churchill to ask the legislature to postpone the collection of taxes.

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