Roswell and Elizabeth Garst Farmstead Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Roswell and Elizabeth Garst Farmstead Historic District is a farm
in Guthrie County
, Iowa
, United States
, near the city of Coon Rapids
. It is significant as the home of farmer and hybrid corn populizer Roswell Garst
. During the 1930s and 1940s, Garst played an active role in the conversion of old-style family farms to modern agri-business. He was a key marketer of hybrid seed corn
, which greatly increased corn yields per acre. Further, he espoused the use of nitrogen
and other chemical fertilizer
s to renew soil so that fields need not be left fallow in order for the soil to replenish, allowing farmers to grow more acres of corn. Additionally, he embraced the use of cellulose
from corncob
s left after processing seed corn as cattle feed.
The farm is also famous as site of a visit on September 23, 1959, by Soviet
premier Nikita Khrushchev
. The visit was not their first meeting, and it was by Khrushchev's request. Garst's farm had been visited by Soviet officials first in 1955, as an unofficial extra when they were on an organized tour of smaller farms. The Garst farm, with its use of hybrid corn and other agricultural innovations, was the only large size farm at all comparable to the scale of Soviet collective farms that the official was able to visit, and that was only by getting away from the official tour. Subsequently, Garst visited the Soviet Union to sell hybrid corn there and spread information about modern American farming methods. He met Khrushchev, and they found they had much in common. Three years later, a group of Soviet officials were sent to spend three months at the farm, participating in all of its activities. When Khrushchev visited America in 1959, he was adamant that his visit include a trip to Garst's farm in Iowa.
After the conclusion of the visit, Llewellyn Thompson
, then the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, stated that the visit to the Garst farm was one of the most significant parts of Khrushchev's journey to the United States. This visit, combined with plummeting yields from Soviet agriculture, helped to lead Khrushchev to attempt an overhaul of the Soviet agricultural system.
The main building is a 1.5 story farmhouse. It includes 11 other contributing buildings, 3 contributing structures and one contributing site.
The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on August 12, 2009 and the listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
's weekly list of August 21, 2009. Currently the main house of the Roswell and Elizabeth Garst Farmstead Historic District is the office for the Whiterock Conservancy
.
The site is located at 1390 Highway 141
in the northwestern corner of Guthrie County
.
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
in Guthrie County
Guthrie County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,954 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,756 housing units, of which 4,544 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the city of Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids, Iowa
Coon Rapids is a city in Carroll and Guthrie counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,305 at the 2010 census unchanged from the 2000 census. The small portion of Coon Rapids that lies in Guthrie County is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical...
. It is significant as the home of farmer and hybrid corn populizer Roswell Garst
Roswell Garst
Roswell "Bob" Garst was an American farmer and seed company executive. He developed hybrid corn seed in 1930 that allowed greater crop yields than open-pollinated corn. He was perhaps most well known for hosting Nikita Khrushchev on his farm in Coon Rapids, Iowa, on September 23, 1959...
. During the 1930s and 1940s, Garst played an active role in the conversion of old-style family farms to modern agri-business. He was a key marketer of hybrid seed corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, which greatly increased corn yields per acre. Further, he espoused the use of nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
and other chemical fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s to renew soil so that fields need not be left fallow in order for the soil to replenish, allowing farmers to grow more acres of corn. Additionally, he embraced the use of cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
from corncob
Corncob
A corncob is the central core of a maize ear.The corn plant's ear is also considered a "cob" or "pole" but it is not fully a "pole" until the ear is shucked, or removed from the plant material around the ear...
s left after processing seed corn as cattle feed.
The farm is also famous as site of a visit on September 23, 1959, by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
premier Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
. The visit was not their first meeting, and it was by Khrushchev's request. Garst's farm had been visited by Soviet officials first in 1955, as an unofficial extra when they were on an organized tour of smaller farms. The Garst farm, with its use of hybrid corn and other agricultural innovations, was the only large size farm at all comparable to the scale of Soviet collective farms that the official was able to visit, and that was only by getting away from the official tour. Subsequently, Garst visited the Soviet Union to sell hybrid corn there and spread information about modern American farming methods. He met Khrushchev, and they found they had much in common. Three years later, a group of Soviet officials were sent to spend three months at the farm, participating in all of its activities. When Khrushchev visited America in 1959, he was adamant that his visit include a trip to Garst's farm in Iowa.
After the conclusion of the visit, Llewellyn Thompson
Llewellyn Thompson
Llewellyn E. "Tommy" Thompson Jr. , was a United States diplomat. He served in Sri Lanka, Austria, and for a lengthy period in the Soviet Union where his tenure saw some of the most significant events of the Cold War....
, then the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, stated that the visit to the Garst farm was one of the most significant parts of Khrushchev's journey to the United States. This visit, combined with plummeting yields from Soviet agriculture, helped to lead Khrushchev to attempt an overhaul of the Soviet agricultural system.
The main building is a 1.5 story farmhouse. It includes 11 other contributing buildings, 3 contributing structures and one contributing site.
The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on August 12, 2009 and the listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's weekly list of August 21, 2009. Currently the main house of the Roswell and Elizabeth Garst Farmstead Historic District is the office for the Whiterock Conservancy
Whiterock Conservancy
Whiterock Conservancy is a 501 land trust located in west-central Iowa that stewards over 4,000 acres of contiguous land located in the Middle Raccoon River watershed, and an additional 1,000 non-contiguous land located in the Brushy and Middle Raccoon River watersheds...
.
The site is located at 1390 Highway 141
Iowa Highway 141
Iowa Highway 141 is a major east–west highway in the western and central portions of the state. It is the most direct link between Sioux City and Des Moines. It also serves as a freeway link between Des Moines and the outlying communities of Perry, Granger, and Grimes. Iowa 141's western...
in the northwestern corner of Guthrie County
Guthrie County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,954 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,756 housing units, of which 4,544 were occupied.-2000 census:...
.