Family Education On this day in agriculture history | March 31 What has happened in agriculture on March 31 over the years? Here are a few notable events. By Natalina Sents Bausch Natalina Sents Bausch Natalina Sents Bausch is the Digital Director for Successful Farming and Agriculture.com. She manages the daily newsroom-style digital content creation and distribution strategy for Agriculture.com. She has covered stories ranging from infrastructure and young farmers to new machinery introductions and USDA programs. Natalina joined the Successful Farming team in 2017 to cover new farm machinery and news coverage for Agriculture.com. Successful Farming's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 31, 2021 Close 7 years ago A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Cesar Chavez was held at the USDA in Washington, D.C., on March 31, 2015. United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and others spoke to a crowd of students and farmworker organization leaders. Chavez was a labor leader and civil rights activist who cofounded the National Farm Workers Association. The group later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United Farm Workers labor union. USDA 7 years ago Dry conditions were widespread in late March 2015. Parts of California, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas reported exceptional drought conditions. Top corn growing states Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas were experiencing moderate drought. U.S. Drought Monitor 29 years ago Heavy rains fell in Iowa with as much as 3.5 inches recorded in the central part of the state. In Grinnell a total of 2.24 inches of rain was recorded – the highest 24-hour total on record so early in the year at that location. The heavy rain combined with the melting of a deeper-than-normal snowpack caused flooding along much of the Cedar and Iowa River basins, with nearly all rivers in Iowa rising above flood stage. This set the stage for the historic floods that would follow later in the summer of 1993. 79 years ago Oklahoma!, an award-winning musical, premiered on Broadway on March 31, 1943. The musical is set in farm country in 1906 and tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie. Years later, versions of this production are still performed. 95 years ago Cesar Chavez was born in 1927 in Yuma, Arizona. He cofounded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which later became the United Farm Workers labor union. 95 years ago On March 31, 1927, a snowstorm dumped 15 inches of snow in Rapid City, South Dakota. Many roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow. READ MORE: Don't let snow collapse your barn roof Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit