János Balásházy (1797–1857)

Pioneer of modern agriculture

Balázsházy was descended from an impoverished lesser noble family from Hegyalja that had lost their estates. In his youth he was involved in the political struggles of the Reform Age alongside Kossuth in Sátoraljaújhely. Later he terminated his law studies to learn agriculture at the Keszthely Georgicon so that he could successfully manage his remaining estates. Similarly to Széchenyi he believed that credit was necessary for productivity in the modern age.

The main goal of his scientific activity was to promote intensive farming and rational planning by translating foreign literature into Hungarian. He distilled his practical experience on sheep breeding in a collection published in 1827, the first systematic summary of the field. As a great moment of professional recognition, in 1830 he was elected an ordinary member of the Hungarian Scientific Society. In 1838 it was in Debrecen that his ‘The Science of House Economy and Field Farming’ was published.

Hoping for a better livelihood in 1836 he moved to the city with his family, buying a smaller estate in the Elep puszta. Throughout his life he suffered from a lack of capital and fair credits. Despite his up-to-date, high-standard theoretical knowledge, his own farm was on the verge of bankruptcy on several occasions. He could never fully realise his dream, an independent model farm. As an old man he moved to Földes, running an orchard and repaying his son’s debts, who was in the Vienna guard.