America was built upon agriculture. From the founding of the nation, in which we adapted methods used by the Native Americans, to the present day in which the United States ranks as the world's largest agricultural exporter, farming continues to serve as the backbone of American society.  A practice continued throughout the nation's history is family farming. The oldest form of managing crops, a family farm is a farm owned by a family, whose operation is passed down to future generations. The family farm is typically viewed as its own culture and is beneficial to the preservation of the American land.