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 1990-91
Recession
1991-2000
Business expansion
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1990s
Concentration grows in farm inputs industry and among processors and
shippers; more farms turn to production and marketing contracts, increasing
vertical coordination
1996
Net farm income reaches a record $54.9 billion
1998-99
Price slump caused by large commodity surpluses
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1990
Total
population: 261,423,000; farm population: 2,987,552; farmers 2.6%
of labor force; Number of farms: 2,143,150; average acres: 461; irrigated
acres: 49,404,000 (1992)
1991
Farm entrepreneurial population: 5,024,000
1998
Number
of farms: 2.19 million; average acres: 435
1990
Rural counties gain population after losing ground in the 1980s
2000
Total population: 275,000,000
(est.)
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1990
One
farmer supplies 100 persons (est.)
1990s
Information technology and precision techniques increasingly used
in agriculture
1994
Farmers begin using satellite technology to track and plan their farming
practices. The user of conservation tillage methods, which leave crop
residues in the field to combat erosion, continues to rise. FDA grants
first approval for a whole food produced through biotechnology, the
FLAVRSAVR™ tomato. Farm Bureau celebrates its 75th anniversary.
U.S. Congress approves General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT),
helping liberalize world trade
1997
The first weed and insect—resistant biotech crops-soybeans and
cotton—are available commercially
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1990s
Biotechnology brings important new developments in dairy, corn, and
other commodities; genetically engineered crops and livestock appear
1990s
Livestock waste becomes a major issue
Mid-1990s
USDA meat inspection programs modernized in response to concerns about
food safety
1997
'New Leaf Superior,' a potato developed by Monsanto that carries a beetle-killing BT gene, is registered as an insecticide with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1997-98
Tobacco industry settles lawsuits; aid proposed to tobacco farmers
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1990s
Consolidation of rail lines reduces transportation options for rural
residents
1998
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century greatly increases highway
spending
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1990-97
Agricultural
exports: $48.2 billion/year or 9.5% of total exports
1990s
Farmers' Markets a popular way for small farmers to reach consumers
directly
1990
Negotiations begin for a free-trade agreement with Mexico
1993
Revised GATT and new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) lower
trade barriers and enhance export prospects
1996
Agricultural exports set record at $60.4 billion
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1990-99
Farm families make up less than 10
percent of rural population but rural
areas experience some growth
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1990s
Distance education becomes an increasingly important way to make cooperative
research and extension resources accessible
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1990
Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act and the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act increase farmers' flexibility in planting under
government programs
1990
Congress passes the Organic Food Production Act, authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a nationwide definition for organic food
1994
USDA reorganizes to streamline functions and improve efficiency
1996
Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act revises farm programs
to increase reliance on market signals
1998-99
Emergency farm assistance acts provide relief for disasters and market
losses
1999
USDA's Community Food Security Initiative aimed at aiding grass-roots
efforts to reduce hunger and improve nutrition
2000
USDA unveils organic standards and official organic seal
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