Question

Was the westward expansion beneficial to farmers at all? Was the soil or weather any better than the south?

Answer 1

The soil was generally more fertile, the weather was about the same. The west had very hot weather and dry spells that were accompanied by wind storms that created wind erosion which would reduce the quality and nutrients of the land and make it much more coarse and harder to farm, and if you didn't have the money for equipment or animals to assist in the upkeep of the land, it was very hard to do yourself. The heat during the summer and cold during the winter would kill the crops and made successful seasons short. I wouldn't necessarily say that the west was any better for farming than the south, the land acquisition available in the west, however, was ideal and a no brainer for anyone, regardless of farming knowledge or not.