How did railroad companies policies help big companies but hurt farmers and small businesses?
Why were grangers and farmers angry at the railroad companies? Railroads sold much land to businesses instead of families. The railroads also used very high shipping prices that put farmers in debt.
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The railroads provided the efficient, relatively cheap transportation that made both farming and milling profitable. They also carried the foodstuffs and other products that the men and women living on the single-crop bonanza farms needed to live.
Answer and Explanation: The railroads benefitted western farmers the most by connecting them and their farms to America's cities and markets. Farmers could now easily and quickly move their produce and farm goods to the cities to sell, and could import finished, manufactured goods from the industrial east.
The Complaints of FarmersFirst, farmers claimed that farm prices were falling and, as a consequence, so were their incomes. They generally blamed low prices on over-production. Second, farmers alleged that monopolistic railroads and grain elevators charged unfair prices for their services.
Ranging from 3,000 to 30,000 acres, these huge farms needed fleets of harvesters and armies of workers to gather their crops. Steel rails linked the farms and the mills. The railroads provided the efficient, relatively cheap transportation that made both farming and milling profitable.
The railroad opened the way for the settlement of the West, provided new economic opportunities, stimulated the development of town and communities, and generally tied the country together.
Answer and Explanation:However, two industries benefited the most from the Transcontinental Railroad. Those were cotton and cattle. Railroads made it possible for cotton farmers in the east to ship their products to the western frontier quickly.