Data Series 689
This report and the accompanying tables summarize some of the important changes in American agriculture in the form of a timeline and a compilation of selected annual time-series data that can be broadly related to environmental quality. Although these changes have been beneficial for increasing agricultural production, some of them have resulted in environmental concerns. The agriculture timeline is divided into four categories (1) crop and animal changes, (2) mechanical changes, (3) biological and chemical changes, and (4) regulatory and societal changes. The timeline attempts to compile events that have had a lasting impact on agriculture in the United States. The events and data presented in this report may help to improve the connections between agricultural activist and environmental concerns.
First posted August 2, 2012
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Grey, K.M., Capel, P.D., Baker, N.T., and Thelin, G.P., 2012, Selected historic agricultural data important to environmental quality in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series Report 689, 2 p. plus tables.
Selected Historic Data
Table 1. Temporal changes in labor hours, acres planted, and farm equipment used in the production of corn, cotton, and wheat in the United States, 1850-1987.
Table 2. Timeline of selected agricultural events in the United States that are broadly related to environmental quality.
Table 3. Selected historic agricultural data important to environmental quality in the United States, 1850-2010.
Table 4. National pesticide use in crop agriculture in the United States in 2009, by active ingredient.