Show Americas America's Agriculture l Revolution Dear Editor This week November 26 20 is National Nation Nation- al Farm-City Farm Week As we approach the annual Thanksgiving Day we should all be thankful to our American farmers farmers farm farm- ers for the following facts We are the best fed people in the world The average average aver aver- age age calorie level per person per day of the United States is This is greater than the recommended standard for fur the country by 20 per cent We are not just well fed but we get our food at bargain prices The typical U. U S. S family family fam fam- ily spends 17 per cent of its take-home take pay for food In Great Britain families spend 30 per cent of their earnings for food and Russians spend a about bout 50 per cent In other less developed countries countries coun coun- tries food costs take more than half ball of a families income The reason why food is so plentiful and inexpensive in the United States is because of the Immense productivity of American agriculture Combining hard work with technological advances the American farmer has increased his output five fold in the past years An excellent example can be found inthe Inthe in inthe the per acre yield for corn In 1870 the average yield was 29 bushels per acre By 1950 it had increased to 38 bushels In 1960 it had climbed to 55 and now it is 75 bushels per acre While per acre yields have increased the number of man hours required to produce foodstuff has declined Fifty years ago it took the typical farmer hours of work to produce bushels of corn Today it takes him 10 hours Traveling down the highway today loday we may see a farmer operating a noisy machine in his field He lie is baling and loading 10 tons of hay an hour while setting down Twenty-five Twenty years ago two men working with pitch forks could not bale this much hay in a whole day Near the turn of the century one farm worker could supply food for seven people Today one farmer can feed 41 people Americas America's agricultural revolution affects affects af af- more than just the farm It has hasa a bearing on the nations nation's economic well- well being Historians say that any country's agricultural success serves as a basis for its overall economic growth because because be be- cause if a farmers farmer's labor produces only enough to feed himself and his family there can be no specialized industry I I |