The level of farm output in the United States more than doubled between 1948 and 2013, growing at an average annual rate of 1.52 percent.
The latest data from the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides productivity growth estimates for the U.S. farm sector from 1948 to 2013 and for U.S. states from 1960 to 2004. Input use from 1948 to 2013 increased at a modest annual rate of 0.05 percent, emphasizing that farmers are more productive.
The rise in agricultural productivity has long been seen as the single most important source of economic growth in the U.S. farm sector. It is also widely agreed that innovation and changes in technology is a main contributor to productivity in U.S. agriculture.