U.S. Agriculture

As it debates the 1995 Farm Bill, Congress will consider the first major change in five years to the nation's agricultural policy. This will be the first opportunity for many Members of Congress to participate in farm bill deliberations. To aid Members, this fact sheet provides national data on the status and trends in (1) agriculture's position in the U.S. economy, (2) the level of U.S. agricultural outputs and inputs, (3) the condition of the agricultural resource base, and (4) the federal government's financial support of agricultural producers.

GAO found that: (1) the farm sector's share of the nation's gross domestic product declined from 3.9 percent in 1960 to 1.4 percent in 1992; (2) farm employment, as a percentage of total employment, fell from 8.1 percent in 1960 to 2.5 percent in 1993; (3) the number of farms decreased 39 percent and average farm size increased 28 percent between 1964 and 1992; (4) in 1991, farming was most important to the economies of the Northern Plains states; (5) U.S. farm productivity increased greatly from 1964 to 1991 due to the development and use of new technologies; (6) agricultural output has generally increased since 1964, although a relatively small number of products, states, and farms account for the majority of agricultural sales; (7) the index of agricultural inputs remained steady from 1964 to 1991, however, some inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation increased during that time; (8) in the past two decades, the public has become increasingly concerned about the conditions of the nation's natural resources; (9) in the past 30 years, government spending on farm programs has declined in comparison with that on other programs; and (10) commodities payments are the primary form of government support to farmers.