George Washington studied and implemented improved farming methods throughout his life. In fact, he thought of himself first as a farmer.
George Washington devoted his life to the improvement of American agriculture.
While his initial interest in farming was driven by his own needs to earn a living and improve Mount Vernon, in later years Washington realized his leadership and experimentation could assist all American farmers.
Initially growing tobacco as his cash crop, Washington soon realized that tobacco was not sustainable and he switched to grains, particularly wheat as a cash crop in 1766. Washington read the latest works on agriculture and implemented the new husbandry methods using a variety of fertilization methods and crop rotation plans on his five farms.
George Washington and Agriculture
George Washington took an early interest in husbandry and agricultural improvement. Learn more about Washington’s desire to improve the state of American agriculture through careful experimentation.
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Field Labor
The majority of enslaved people at Mount Vernon were assigned to agricultural work on the plantation’s four outlying farms. Under the supervision of overseers, field hands toiled from sunrise to sunset, which could mean 14-hour days in the summer.
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Did George Washington Grow Hemp?
Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture uncovers the truth about George Washington and hemp.
Learn MoreA Day in the Life of an Enslaved Field Worker
"Every Labourer (male or female) does as much in the 24 hours as their strength without endangering the health, or constitution will allow of." - George Washington, 1789
Dairies at Mount Vernon
Learn about the history of dairying at Mount Vernon and Washington's desire to set an example for his countrymen.
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Maximizing Value and Efficiency
A series of savvy decisions kept Washington on the forefront of the American agricultural industry.
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Dogue Run Farm
Learn how George Washington worked to develop the Dogue Run Farm - one of the five farms at Mount Vernon - into one of his most productive fields.
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16-Sided Barn
Learn more about Washington’s remarkable and innovative 16-sided treading barn located on his Dogue Run farm.
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Map: Extent of Washington's 1793 Mount Vernon Land Holdings
This map shows the historic boundaries of George Washington's five farms at Mount Vernon superimposed over today's modern landscape. Much of this once-rural landscape remains free from development today.
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Washington as Bookkeeper
George Washington personally kept fastidious financial records throughout his life, an impressive feat considering the size of his business enterprise.
Learn moreVisit Mount Vernon
The Farm
Tour the four-acre farm, whose highlights include a scrupulously crafted replica of Washington’s ingenious 16-sided treading barn and a reconstructed slave cabin.
Historic Trades
Washington's Fisheries
No endeavor better represented Washington’s entrepreneurial spirit than his three fisheries along the Potomac River spanning his 10 miles of coastline at Mount Vernon
The Animals of Mount Vernon
Learn more about the various heritage breed animals that we have here at Mount Vernon today - animals that Washington would have been familiar with.
View our collection of farming and agriculture related videos
Plowing the Fields
16-Sided Barn at Mount Vernon's Farm
Duke and Earl haul treaded wheat from the 16-sided barn
Wheat Treading at the 16-Sided Barn
Sheep at Mount Vernon
Gathering wheat for treading
Corn growing at the Farm
Upper Garden Vegetables
Potato Harvest at Mount Vernon
A Tobacco Leaf
Peaches at Mount Vernon
Re-creating a Washington Farming Experiment
Mount Vernon staff get their hands dirty testing different soil mixtures—just as Washington did in 1760.
The Maharajah of Mules
Why does Rinker Buck, bestselling author of The Oregon Trail, call George Washington the "Maharajah of Mules?" Find out in this interesting interview.