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Agricultural Productivity in the United States

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  • Ahearn, Mary Clare
  • Yee, Jet
  • Ball, V. Eldon
  • Nehring, Richard F.

Abstract

Increased productivity is a key to a healthy and thriving economy. Consequently, the trend in productivity, economywide, is one of the most closely watched of our common economic performance indicators. Agriculture, in particular, has been a very successful sector of the U.S. economy in terms of productivity growth. The U.S. farm sector has provided an abundance of output while using inputs efficiently. Agricultural productivity growth has been an important source of U.S. economic growth throughout the century, but the years since 1940 have seen an even faster growth in agricultural productivity. The annual average increase in productivity from 1948 to 1994 was 1.94 percent. This reflects an annual growth in output of 1.88 percent per year and an actual decline in agricultural inputs of 0.06 percent per year. This report describes changes in U.S. agricultural productivity, and its output and input components, for 1948-94. The report also discusses factors that have affected productivity trends and provides detailed, technical information about the USDA system for calculating productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahearn, Mary Clare & Yee, Jet & Ball, V. Eldon & Nehring, Richard F., 1998. "Agricultural Productivity in the United States," Agricultural Information Bulletins 33687, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersab:33687
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.33687
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    2. Huffman, Wallace E. & Evenson, Robert E., 2000. "Structural and productivity change in US agriculture, 1950-1982," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 127-147, January.
    3. Ahearn, Mary Clare & Yee, Jet & Huffman, Wallace E., 2002. "The Impact Of Government Policies On Agricultural Productivity And Structure: Preliminary Results," 2002 Annual meeting, July 28-31, Long Beach, CA 19865, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    4. Peterson, Jeffrey M. & Boisvert, Richard N. & de Gorter, Harry, 1999. "Multifunctionality and Optimal Environmental Policies for Agriculture in an Open Economy," Working Papers 127701, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    5. Zahniser, Steven & Hoppe, Robert A. & Johnson, James D. & Banker, David E., 2002. "Structural Change In An Era Of Increased Openness: A Background Paper On The Structure Of U.S. Agriculture," Proceedings of the 7th Agricultural and Food Policy Systems Information Workshop, 2001: Structural Change as a Source of Trade Disputes Under NAFTA 16872, Farm Foundation, Agricultural and Food Policy Systems Information Workshops.
    6. Huffman, Wallace E., 1999. "An Overview of Immigration and the Changing Face of Rural California: The Central San Joaquin Valley," ISU General Staff Papers 199911010800001330, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    7. Padgitt, Merritt & Newton, Doris & Penn, Renata & Sandretto, Carmen, 2000. "Production Practices for Major Crops in U.S. Agriculture, 1990-97," Statistical Bulletin 262287, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    8. Bailey, Alastair & Irz, Xavier T. & Balcombe, Kelvin George, 2003. "An Appliation Of The Stochastic Latent Variable Approach To The Correction Of Sector Level Tfp Calculations In The Face Of Biased Technological Change," 2003 Annual Meeting, August 16-22, 2003, Durban, South Africa 25842, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Shane, Mathew & Roe, Terry L. & Gopinath, Munisamy, 1998. "U.S. Agricultural Growth and Productivity: An Economywide Perspective," Agricultural Economic Reports 34047, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    10. Ehui, Simeon K. & Jabbar, Mohammad A., 2002. "Measuring productivity in African agriculture: a survey of applications," Research Reports 182883, International Livestock Research Institute.
    11. H. Frederick Gale, 2003. "Age-Specific Patterns of Exit and Entry in U.S. Farming, 1978–1997," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 25(1), pages 168-186.
    12. Mubanga Mpundu & Onkabetse Bopape, 2022. "Analysis of Farming Contribution to Economic Growth and Poverty Alleviation in the South African Economy: A Sustainable Development Goal Approach," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 12(5), pages 151-159, September.
    13. Alberto Arizu & Víctor Castro & Marcos Gallacher, 2008. "Impacto Económico del Conocimiento Científico: El caso de la Genética Vegetal," Revista de Economía y Estadística, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Instituto de Economía y Finanzas, vol. 46(1), pages 45-68, Junio.
    14. Mozumdar, Lavlu, 2012. "Agricultural productivity and food security in the developing world," Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, vol. 35(1-2).
    15. Erickson, Kenneth W. & Moss, Charles B. & Mishra, Ashok K., 2002. "The Measurement Of Inequality In Canadian And U.S. Agricultural Income By Components Of Net Value Added," 2002 Annual meeting, July 28-31, Long Beach, CA 19866, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    16. Bailey, Alastair & Irz, Xavier & Balcombe, Kelvin, 2004. "Measuring productivity growth when technological change is biased--a new index and an application to UK agriculture," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 31(2-3), pages 285-295, December.
    17. Hoppe, Robert A., 2014. "Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, 2014 Edition," Economic Information Bulletin 262118, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    18. Tweeten, Luther G., 1998. "Meeting Tomorrow'S Global Food Needs--A Moral Imperative," Economics and Sociology Occasional Papers - ESO Series 28335, Ohio State University, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics.
    19. Olson, Kent D. & Vu, Linh, 2009. "Productivity Growth, Technical Efficiency and Technical Change on Minnesota Farms," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49204, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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