Americans are familiar with the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, but there was another set of principles the Founding Fathers held closely, al­­though they never formally adopted them.

Those principles are the ag­­rarian creed, also known as the agricultural creed. The creed is usually traced back to Thomas Jefferson, who placed a high value on agricultural pursuits.

Jefferson felt that farming was superior to other occupations and resulted in good citizenship. Therefore, the creed expressed the belief...