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PROPOSED
MEASURES: FOOD & FIBER
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Dollar value
of national agricultural output, as a measure of the total goods
produced on agricultural lands. (Fig. 1)
Dollar value
of production per acre of total land, as an indication of those
places where the economic value of agriculture is highest. (Fig.
2)
Agricultural
productivity, or agricultural production per unit of inputs (fertilizer,
pesticides, labor, capital), as a measure of the efficiency of production.
(Figs. 3, 4)
The inflation-adjusted
value of agricultural output was approximately the same in 1997 as it
was in 1948. However, there were major fluctuations during the intervening
years, with a low of $152 billion in 1957 and a high of $273 billion
in 1973.
The amount of crops
and livestock produced has more than doubled since 1948. During this
period, agricultural productivity (output per unit of input) grew at
an average rate of 1.9 percent per year. Overall use of farm inputs
such as fertilizer, pesticides, labor, and capital has remained fairly
stable, although the mix of inputs has changed significantly, with labor
use declining, fertilizer use doubling, and pesticide use increasing
about eightfold.
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This graph
shows the amount farmers produce multiplied by the price they receive.
These amounts do not reflect the payments received by farmers through
government commodity programs, nor are these amounts intended to
reflect economic activity associated with food processing and distribution
or off-farm service and supply businesses. |
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Source:
USDA, Economic Research Service
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This map shows
the value of agricultural production per acre, accounting for all
acres (cropland plus other land) in a county. Darker areas either
produce high value per cropped acre or have a high proportion of
acreage that is cropped, or both. |
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Source:
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service
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Agricultural
Productivity:
Output per Unit of Input (3)
Technical
Note
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Source:
USDA Economic Research Service
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graph shows an index of input use (aggregating inputs such as fertilizer,
pesticides, labor, and capital) compared to an index of outputs
(aggregating different crops and livestock). Note that these outputs
are physical outputs, such as bushels of corn, not a measure of
value, as is shown in Graphic 1, Dollar Value of the Agricultural
Production. |
This
graph shows changes in the relative amounts of several elements
of the "inputs" index used in the previous graph. Although the overall
inputs index has remained stable, the mix has changed significantly. |
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STATUS
OF DATA & OTHER NOTES
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All of the
information presented here is from ongoing USDA programs.
Please see
the Technical
Notes for additional information.
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