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Farm Facts
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Farm Facts |
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FARM FACTS AND INVENTIONSBits and pieces about American agriculture since the 1930's
* In the 1930’s, 25% of the population lived on a farm, now it is less than 2% * Today, agriculture (the entire food and fiber industry) accounts for 13% of America’s worth * Today, Americans spend about 10% of their disposable income on food, in many other countries it’s more than 50% From a peak of 6-1/2 million farms in 1935, 5-1/2 million in a 1950, a 1992 census counted only 1,925,300 American farms left, less than during the pre-Civil War days of 1860. In 1996, 25 percent of the farms accounted for 88 percent of production. In 1997, by another count there were 2,190,510 farms left, of
these;
Farm facts for year 2000* 17% of the American workforce, or 25 million jobs, were involved in some phase of agriculture, either growing, processing or distributing... making the food and fiber system the nation’s largest employer. * U.S. agricultural exports (excluding fish and forestry products) totaled $51.6
billion dollars and generated and additional $116 billion in business. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture For 2002-2003 USDA statistical highlights... see National Agriculture Statistics Service - Overview Other farm trivia:In 1999, U.S. agricultural exports were $48 billion, being the fifth (5) largest category behind; (1) Transportation Equipment ($124.8 billion) (2) Electronic and Electric Equipment ($118.8 billion) (3) Industrial Machinery and Computers ($118.1 billion) (4) Chemical Products ($67.2 billion) Total U.S. exports in goods and services (all categories) were $960 billion, up 56% from 1992. Sources: U.S. Commerce Dept and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Note: Because prices American farmers receive have not increased in the past three decades, the average annual exports usually stay between $40-50 billion. Once accounting for a huge share of the total U.S. exports until the 1980's, or about 60%, continual depressed prices have caused agricultural exports to continually slip in the rankings (now 5th). Farm equipment... year of introduction1793- cotton gin invented1797- cast-iron plow 1819- plow with interchangeable parts 1825- canning industry established 1834- McCormick reaper patented 1837- steel plow 1837- threshing machine patented 1841- grain-drill patented 1842- grain elevator 1844- mowing machine patented 1849- mixed chemical fertilizers available 1854- self-regulating windmill 1856- horse-drawn cultivator patented 1865- gang plows began use 1868- steam tractors tested 1869- spring-tooth harrow 1870- silos 1870- deep well-drilling 1874- barbed wire 1884- horse drawn combine 1890- cream separator 1910- gasoline tractor 1926- cotton stripper 1930- rubber-tired tractor 1930- two-row equipment 1942- spindle cotton-picker 1945- four-row equipment, 2 row cotton pickers 1954- the first year more tractors were used on farms than horses and mules
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While largely of a metaphysical (spiritual) nature, STD LEX also references the family farm crisis throughout the book with one chapter fully dedicated to it... from a very unique perspective. This website and contents are explained in our Introduction >TOP >HOME |
A.O. Kime articles —AGRICULTURE
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