Farmers organized around the Granger movement, and later through political parties, emphasizing the importance of combating the monopolistic attitude and prices of railroads and other harmful federal policies.
Together with Granger and Populists, they took part in the farmers' movement between 1867 and 1896 in order to advance the struggle against hard life on farms. Populist Party demands were among others: an eighth hour of the day, land reclamation, state ownership of railways, popular elections of federal senators etc.
The common goal of Granger and the Populist Party was to improve the condition of farmers' livelihood by reducing the cost of rail and improving federal policy towards farmers.
