Monmouth College speaker to reflect on what can be learned from Farm Crisis of 1980s

Pamela Riney-Kehrberg to deliver annual Wiswell-Robeson Lecture on Sept. 14

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (09/08/2026) — Although her research interests date back roughly 150 years, this year's presenter of Monmouth College's Wiswell-Robeson Lecture will focus on much more recent history - the farm crisis from 40 years ago.

Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, distinguished professor of history at Iowa State University and a leading voice in the study of rural and agricultural America, will deliver Monmouth's 10th Annual Wiswell-Robeson Lecture at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 in the college's Dahl Chapel and Auditorium. Titled "Remembering and Reckoning with the Farm Crisis of the 1980s," her talk is free and open to the public.

Drawing on decades of research on Midwest farm families and crises, Riney-Kehrberg will explore how economic, environmental and policy changes have shaped communities such as Warren County - and what those stories mean for today's producers, agribusiness leaders and rural residents.

The 1980s crisis reached its peak in the middle years of the decade, resulting in numerous foreclosures and, ultimately, rural flight. Riney-Kehrberg also addressed that dynamic in her 2023 book Childhood on the Farm, the only general history of Midwestern farm children to use narratives written by the children themselves, giving a fresh voice to the forgotten years of the late 1800s and early 1900s, an era when thousands of young people left farm homes for life in the big city.

In all, Riney-Kehrberg has written five books and nearly 40 articles and chapters on the history of farm families, childhood and rural communities, bringing new depth and humanity to the story of the Midwest. In addition to her research, she has been recognized for excellence in teaching and for lifetime achievement by the Agricultural History Society, reflecting the wide impact of her scholarship, mentorship and public history work. She is a past president of that organization, as well as the Midwestern History Association.

Riney-Kehrberg worked on the American Library Association's project "Dust, Drought and Dreams Gone Dry: A Traveling Exhibition and Programs in Libraries about the Dust Bowl," and Ken Burns' documentary, "The Dust Bowl." Recently, she collaborated with the National Council on History Education on a project for rural teachers, helping them to bring local history into their classrooms.

The Wiswell-Robeson Lecture was founded in 2016 through a gift from 1960 Monmouth graduate Jeanne Gittings Robeson. The lecture's purpose is to annually feature a speaker from the agriculture community who explores issues, challenges and innovations in the industry. Robeson and her late husband, Don Robeson, who was a 1954 Monmouth graduate, operated their farm in Warren County.

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Pamela Riney-Kehrberg is a distinguished professor of history at Iowa State University and a leading voice in the study of rural and agricultural America.

Monmouth College

Monmouth College speaker to reflect on what can be learned from Farm Crisis of 1980s

Pamela Riney-Kehrberg to deliver annual Wiswell-Robeson Lecture on Sept. 14

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Monmouth College

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