The Influence of Technical Progress on Agricultural Production

In the complex changes that have affected modern agriculture, technical progress has played a large part. Perhaps it is even the warp of the fabric; certainly it has enormously influenced the whole modern economy. It would be easy to write about the wonders of modern technology, and it would also be easy to curse them as responsible for most of our ills. This article does neither. It attempts a sober appraisal, point by point, of the influence of changes in farm power and equipment, plant and animal breeding, fertilizers, animal feeding, disease control—not only the changes in the past but those in prospect in the near future. These changes affect the whole of our agriculture—methods of production, quantities produced, the manpower needed in farming, capital requirements, size of farm units, the organization of the farm, operating costs, conditions of tenure. It is not too much to say that our destiny will depend to no small extent on our understanding of these factors and our ability to direct them for the service of all our people. The article is based on information prepared for an interbureau committee on technological developments in agriculture.