It was formed in 1977 in Campo, Colorado, by a group of farmers.
They attempted to organize a strike in which farmers would no longer buy or sell anything.
[1] On December 10, 1977, approximately 5,000 farmers held a rally in Lincoln, Nebraska, and were joined by Nebraska Governor J. James Exon.
The organization therefore decided to have a tractor rally in Washington, DC.
The Carter administration agreed that the Farmers Home Administration would stop all foreclosures, but soon after the rally had ended, it resumed foreclosures of farms with past due loans.