Introduction of important new technology

"Technology, likewise, is a threat to our current agricultural system. Technology was the fountainhead of our prosperity. Farmers invested and adapted their way to extremely proficient farms. In the 1930s one United States farmer could supply 9.8 persons in his own country and abroad. by 1994, one farmer could supply 129 people in the United States and abroad. It was technology that made this possible, the steam engine for shipping by boat and rail, barbed wire, the internal combustion engine, electricity, rural electrification, plant and animal genetics, herbicides, pesticides, portable refrigeration, radio, television, communication technologies, jet engines, and the Internet." William S. Patrie, Remarks to the Annual Bloomquist Lecture Series, North Dakota State University.

New technology spurred change and diversification in agriculture, including production of row crops in addition to small grains. After 1860, farming technology began to improve, increasing productivity and reducing the drudgery of farming. It also increased the income potential for farms.

Larger and more efficient machinery replaces labor. After the Civil War, many farmers started using commercial fertilizers and replaced their former hired workers with machines. Generally, larger farmers used more scientific methods and had higher yields per acre.

As the industry moved toward bigger and better machinery to work increased acreage, this also increased debt. (Story from Chester Schantz about his dad buying new tractors)

With larger equipment and the money it takes to buy it, Farmers compete for land to capture economies of size. The number of farms in North Dakota has declined every year since 1936, from 86,000 to 31,000 in 1998.