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Productivity growth is still the major driver of U.S. agricultural growth

U.S. agricultural output, inputs, and total factor productivity, 1948-2019

Technological developments in agriculture have been influential in driving changes in the farm sector. Innovations in animal and crop genetics, chemicals, equipment, and farm organization have enabled continuing output growth without adding much to inputs. As a result, even as the amount of land and labor used in farming declined, total farm output nearly tripled between 1948 and 2019.

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