GRANT, Michael Johnston 1961-

PERSONAL: Born April 27, 1961, in Sidney, NE; son of Martin (a farmer) and Frances (a homemaker; maiden name, Johnston) Grant. Ethnicity: "White." Education: University of Nebraska, Lincoln, B.A., 1983; University of Kansas, M.A., 1993, Ph.D., 1999. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Cycling, hiking, biking, gardening, reading.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—Kentucky Department of Agriculture, 500 Mero St., Seventh Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601. E-mail—michaeljgrant@yahoo.com.

CAREER: Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Frankfort, affiliate. Worked for both state and federal government agencies; instructor in history; public speaker; consultant on grant-writing. Also community volunteer.

MEMBER: National Grant Managers Association, Phi Alpha Theta.

WRITINGS:

Down and out on the Family Farm: Rural Rehabilitation in the Great Plains, 1929-1945, University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE), 2002.

Contributor to multimedia teaching curricula. Contributor to Kansas History.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on the role of agriculture in global power and stability.

SIDELIGHTS: Michael Johnston Grant told CA: "I write about agricultural history because I have a deep love for rural America and what makes it unique. For decades the number of farm families has decreased, and the proportion of national income and work force related to agricultural life has declined in the United States. The impact of farm life on national culture has receded. Still, agricultural and rural America are very relevant to the nation, and I try to express and explore their importance.

"I admire writers such as Donald Worster and Wendell Berry for the questions they ask. They challenge readers to question the moral significance of modern-day United States agriculture and rural life. They recognize that America has been blessed by rich environmental resources and ask questions such as: what have we done with such wealth in natural resources? Particularly they ask: what kind of world have farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness built in modern America?

"I also admire historical insights on the interplay between culture, religion, and politics by Lawrence Levine, Catherine M. Stock, and of course, Richard Hofstadter. Finally, I appreciate the high level of scholarship by multi-disciplinary historians of the American frontier such as John Mack Faragher and Richard White."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Journal of American History, June, 2004, Catherine McNicol Stock, review of Down and out on the Family Farm: Rural Rehabilitation in the Great Plains, 1929-1945, p. 285.