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

  • Agricultural Research and Productivity
A line chart with 3 lines shows U.S. agricultural output, inputs, and total factor productivity (TFP) over the period 1948–2023. While inputs have remained fairly constant over time, U.S. ag. output has nearly tripled, driven by improvements in TFP.

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Technological innovations in U.S. agriculture continue to drive changes in the farm sector. Advances in animal and crop genetics, chemicals, equipment & machinery, and farm organization have resulted in farmers combining inputs in new ways that increase productivity. As a result, agricultural output has continued to grow, even though the amount of land, labor, and other inputs used in farming has remained relatively steady. Notably, total farm output nearly tripled between 1948 and 2023.

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