 Economic Cycles
|
1950-56
Korean War and postwar readjustment
1957-58
Recession |
Farm Economy
|
1950
Large agricultural surpluses |
Farmers & the Land
|
1950
Total population: 151,132,000;
farm population: 25,058,000; farmers 12.2% of labor force; Number
of farms: 5,388,000; average acres: 216; irrigated acres: 25,634,869
1956
Legislation provides for Great Plains Conservation Program |
Farm Machinery & Technology
|
1950-59
Commercial fertilizer use:
22,340,666 tons/year
1950
One
farmer supplies 15.5 persons (est.)
1954
Number of tractors on farms exceeds the number horses and mules for
the first time
1955
6 1/2 labor-hours
required to produce 100 pounds (4 acres) of wheat with tractor,
10- foot plow, 12-foot row weeder, harrow, 14-foot drill, self-propelled
combine and trucks.
Late 1950s
Anhydrous ammonia increasingly used as cheap source of nitrogen, boosting
yields
1959
Mechanical tomato harvester developed |
Crops & Livestock
|
1955s
Sterile flies used for screwworm control |
Transportation
|
1950s
Trucks and barges compete successfully for agricultural products as
railroad rates rise
1956
Interstate Highway Act |
Agricultural Trade & Development
|
1950-59
Agricultural exports: $3.53
billion/year or 22% of total exports
1954
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act (Food for Peace) |
Life on the Farm
|
1950s
Television widely accepted; many rural areas lose population as farm
family members seek outside work
1954
70.9%
of all farms have cars; 49% have phones; 93% have electricity;Social
Security coverage extended to farm operators |
Farm Organizations & Movements
|
1950s
10,051 cooperatives with
7 million members
1955
National Farmers Organization formed |
Agricultural Education & Extension
|
1958
National Defense Education Act |
Government Programs & Policy
|
1950s
Debate about level of farm price support and surpluses
1954
Agricultural Act re-establishes flexible price supports, authorizes
commodity set-asides, and provides support payment for wool
1955-72
Increased emphasis on rural development and renewal
1956
Soil Bank Program authorized
1957
Poultry Inspection Act
1958
Humane Slaughter Act |
|
