Fall Back

Featured in the October 2026 issue of the NGRA newsletter.

This Sunday, Nov. 1, we “fall back,” setting our clocks back an hour as Daylight Saving Time (DST) for 2026 ends at 2 a.m. local time. I’ve never been a fan. And neither have most farmers.

Curious about the history—and disconnect with agriculture—I did some googling and stumbled across this excellent account on the House of Representatives’ History, Art & Archives website. In case you’re curious, too, and/or vaguely remember voting for (or against) repealing the time change recently, read on.

DST was first introduced in 1918 during World War I to save coal and fuel for the war effort. The thinking was, an extra hour of daylight meant less time inside lighting people’s homes. The Wall Street Journal estimated then that more than 800,000 tons of coal could be saved under DST, a 5% reduction (a figure that would prove overblown). Plus, at least 12 European countries had adopted a daylight-saving program. Supporters also believed that the longer days would give Americans more time to cultivate home “war gardens” to grow food for the war effort. But real farmers were feeling the pinch. Farms increasingly relied on hired help who, during the fall harvest season, now arrived to work an hour earlier. But because they couldn’t harvest crops until the morning dew evaporated, they spent the first part of the workday idle. A year later, in 1919, agricultural organizations and more than 300 farm publications successfully lobbied for the law’s repeal.

But when the next World War erupted, year-round DST, framed as a patriotic duty, was back. With strong support from industrialized states, President Roosevelt signed it into law in January 1942. And again, farming communities opposed it. A farmer who represented a rural New York district was quoted at the time: “I am distressed at the increasing degree of ignorance on the part of our urban population as to how their food is produced.” (Some things don’t change!) The measure automatically expired at the end of WWII in 1945, leaving states and local municipalities to decide how to keep time.

Interstate commerce was affected by the patchwork of regulations. And farmers no longer had the electoral muscle to oppose daylight-saving. In 1920, 30% of Americans lived on farms; by 1966, only about 6% did. People in urban areas favored DST. So, to alleviate the confusion, the federal government enacted the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Although the law has been amended several times and two states—Arizona and Hawaii—have since opted out, it remains the foundation of timekeeping in the U.S. DST is observed from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November.

A Sunlight Protection Act was proposed in 2022 to make daylight saving permanent nationwide. It unanimously passed the Senate in March 2022, but did not clear the House. A similar Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 was passed by the House this year, on July 14, but stalled in the Senate. President Trump has indicated he’ll sign it if the Senate passes it. But since no legislative action has been taken, we’re stuck with the time change.

Today, 75% of Americans favor ending the twice-yearly time change, but there’s no consensus on which should be permanent—daylight saving or standard time. So, rather than follow the sun (as the farmers used to urge), we follow the law. At least we get an extra hour of sleep!

Donnell Brown
President