Uses and Publications

This page lists the uses of the U.S. agricultural productivity statistics, including ERS topic pages, staff analysis, publications/research, and chart galleries that highlight the data.

External Review of the ERS U.S. Agricultural Productivity Accounts

ERS engaged an external review committee to examine the data sources, methodology, ongoing research, documentation, and reporting of the ERS agricultural productivity accounts. This report represents the outcome of that review.

• Measurement of U.S. Agricultural Productivity: A 2014 Review of Current Statistics and Proposals for Change (CCR-69, August 2017)

ERS Topic Pages

ERS provides a summary information on U.S. agricultural productivity growth through the topic page—Agricultural Research and Productivity—on its website.

Staff Analysis

U.S. productivity statistics are used to respond to informational requests from nonprofit and government stakeholders.

Publications/Research

ERS uses U.S. agricultural productivity statistics for research and publications in productivity related topics. While the U.S. agricultural productivity statistics data have also been used widely by researchers from academies, nonprofit institutions, and government agencies outside of ERS, we list only ERS publications here.

Selected ERS Publications Using U.S. Agricultural Productivity Statistics

• U.S. Agricultural Output Has Grown Slower in Response to Stagnant Productivity Growth (Amber Waves, October 2022)

• Increases in Labor Quality Contributed to Growth in U.S. Agricultural Output (Amber Waves, February 2022)
• Farm Labor, Human Capital, and Agricultural Productivity in the United States (ERR-302, February 2022)
• Productivity Is the Major Driver of U.S. Farm Sector's Economic Growth (Amber Waves, July 2020)
• Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, 2019 (Chapter 5; EIB-208, May 2019)
• Agricultural Productivity Growth in the United States: 1948-2015 (Amber Waves, March 2018)
• Productivity Growth Is Still the Major Driver in Growing U.S. Agricultural Output (Amber Waves, September 2016)
• Agricultural Productivity Growth in the United States: Measurement, Trends, and Drivers (ERR-189, July 2015)
• U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth: The Past, Challenges, and the Future (Amber Waves, September 2015)
• Long-Term Agricultural Productivity Growth Lowers Agricultural Commodity Prices, Short-Term Productivity Changes Contribute to Price Variability (Amber Waves, April 2015)
• Pesticide Use in U.S. Agriculture: 21 Selected Crops, 1960-2008 (EIB-124, May 2014)
• Agricultural Productivity Growth in the United States: 1948-2011 (Amber Waves, January/February 2014)
• Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, 2012 (EIB-98, August 2012)
• Public Agricultural Research Investment Helps Determine Productivity Growth (Amber Waves, March 2012)
• The Changing Organization of U.S. Farming (EIB-88, December 2011)
• Public Agriculture Research Spending and Future U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth: Scenarios for 2010-2050 (EB-17, July 2011)
• Is U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth Slowing? (Amber Waves, September 2010)
• Productivity Growth Drives Expanded Agricultural Production (Amber Waves, September 2008)
• Productivity Growth in U.S. Agriculture (EB-9, September 2007)
• Ag Productivity Drives Output Growth (Amber Waves, June 2005)
• U.S. Agriculture, 1960-96: A Multilateral Comparison of Total Factor Productivity (TB-1895, May 2001)

Charts of Note and Charting the Essentials Highlighting the U.S. Productivity Accounts

U.S. agricultural productivity statistics are included as part of the Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials section on Farming and Farm Income.

See also these recent ERS Charts of Note:

• U.S. labor productivity per hours worked grew from 1948 to 2017 in part because of changes in quality of labor, study finds (2/16/2022)
• Farm inputs have shifted over time toward less use of labor and land, and more use of capital and intermediate goods (4/9/2018)
• U.S. agricultural productivity continued to grow over time, while the real price of agricultural outputs tended to decline (3/6/2018)
• Productivity has driven the growth in U.S. agricultural output (11/14/2017)
• Gains in productivity have fueled the growth in U.S. agricultural output (5/11/2017)
• Gains in productivity drive growth in U.S. agricultural output (9/14/2016)

Older ERS Charts of Note:

• Productivity in U.S. agriculture, not increased input use, has fueled agricultural output growth
• U.S. poultry and eggs output has grown more rapidly than dairy and meat animals
• Contract labor services a growing part of U.S. farm production
• Sustained public investment in research supports longrun agricultural productivity growth
• Labor and land inputs have fallen in U.S. agricultural production, use of intermediate goods has risen
• Growth in agricultural output has slowed since 2000
• Future growth in agricultural productivity is sensitive to public R&D investments
• U.S. agricultural productivity continues to rise