Farmers

In colonial America, almost 95 percent of the population were farmers, planting such crops as corn, wheat, flax, and, further south, tobacco. Livestock including hogs, cattle, sheep, and goats were imported from Europe. Farmers raised hay to feed livestock and often just enough other crops to supply their families with a balanced diet throughout the year. Progress in science and technology in the 18th and 19th centuries allowed for societies to develop in different directions, and to build other industries, but, as of 2020, about 26 percent of the world's population was still engaged in farming, according to the International Labor Organization.

In the early 20th century, farmers raised a variety of crops along with cattle, poultry, and dairy cows. Farm labor was handled by the farmers and their families. Farmers were very self-sufficient, living on their farms and maintaining their own equipment and storage. Between 1910 and 1960, when horsepower was replaced by mechanized equipment, about 90 million acres previously devoted to growing hay for the feeding of horses could be planted with other crops. Advances in farming techniques and production led to larger farms and more specialization by farmers. Farmers began to focus on growing one or two crops. About this time, more tenant farmers entered the business, renting land for cash or share of the crops.

Farmers doubled their output between 1950 and 1980, but there were fewer of them. In that time, the farm population decreased from 23 million to 6 million. After 1980, many farmers began supplementing their household income with off-farm jobs and businesses.

Today, some small-scale farmers are finding success by catering to niche markets such as organic foods and specialty crops. Others are even branching off into aquaculture—the commercial farming of fish—or the growth of cannabis or hemp.

Modern farmers increasingly use technology to improve crop yields and increase their productivity. Examples include drones (to apply pesticides and fertilizer, check on the health of crops and farm animals, and accomplish other tasks), GPS technology (for use in precision plowing, to improve accuracy in planting and fertilization of crops, and to ensure that furrows are aligned and not wasting farmland), and sensors paired with artificial intelligence (to gather information on moisture, temperature, and other conditions to help them make decisions regarding optimal times to plant, harvest, or perform other tasks). Additionally, some farmers are using autonomous or semi-autonomous farm equipment to reduce their workload and increase productivity.