Furthermore, the development of sub-soilers to break up soil pans (highly compacted layers of soil interfering with water movement and deep crop root development) would not have been possible without the power capability of the modern tractor. Likewise, the ability to improve soil drainage (in excessively high moisture soils) through tractorized mole drainage systems would not have been possible with animal power alone.

Agricultural employment also fell substantially, both in absolute and relative terms, and labor was redeployed outside agriculture. The number of workers per farm was stable, while farm sizes grew rapidly from an average of 167 acres in 1950 to 401 acres in 1978.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

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