People first domesticated wild animals and plants more than 10,000 years ago. The first peoples of North America quickly learned to farm using hand- and animal-power. As technology developed, farming machines were invented. These helped develop farming in many regions of North America previously too difficult to cultivate.

The village of Monticello, Wisconsin, is famous for its dairy farming and cheese. The community is still largely based on this. It has a population of about 1,200 people and is the focus of this book about life in a North American farming community, both past and present.