Warday

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NEWS

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90048

Public Information Office

(213-555-6263) FOR RELEASE 7/21/92

AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION STILL DOWN IN 1991; WAR AND FALLOUT ZONES MOST AFFECTED

Agricultural productivity in America is still suffering from the effects of the 1988 war.

The first comprehensive study since 1987 of agricultural productivity in America has just been completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The results reveal that even after three years, the United States still lags behind prewar productivity by nearly 50 percent. As a result, U.S. exports have dropped by more than 95 percent.

In 1987, for example, the nine major agricultural exports were wheat, oats, corn, barley, rice, soybeans, tobacco, edible vegetable oils, and cotton. In that year the United States accounted for more than 30 percent of the total world production in these nine products. In 1991, however, the U.S. accounted for only 14 percent of the total world production. Table One summarizes this trend.

The Department’s recent study also confirms early surveys, which suggested that the 19 states most directly affected by the war remain considerably behind the rest of the nation in agricultural recovery. These states were either directly struck by the Soviets in 1988 or suffered from high levels of radioactive fallout. Total U.S. agricultural production is particularly affected because of the high prewar concentration of farms in these 19 states.

Although the study covers all phases of agriculture, wheat production is used as a standard to reveal the scope of diminished American productivity. Table Two uses wheat-production data for 1987 and 1991 as a benchmark for demonstrating the effects of the war in 19 critical states.

TABLE ONE

U.S. AND WORLD PRODUCTION OF KEY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

COMMODITY	1987		1991
	U.S. PERCENTAGE OF WORLD PRODUCTION	PERCENTAGE OF U.S. EXPORTS	U.S. PERCENTAGE OF WORLD PRODUCTION	PERCENTAGE OF U.S. EXPORTS
Wheat	18.1%	53.0%	7.9%	Negligible
Oats	18.3	5.1	6.7	Neg.
Corn	49.2	73.2	30.4	Neg.
Barley	7.3	11.9	4.2	Neg.
Rice	2.7	24.4	2.0	Neg.
Soybeans	65.0	87.0	42.3	10.1%
Tobacco	17.1	22.1	14.6	5.2
Veg. oils	28.3	14.0	16.7	.5
Cotton	20.2	37.6	9.4	Neg.

TABLE TWO

U.S. WHEAT PRODUCTION BY YEAR AND SELECTED STATES

STATE	WHEAT PRODUCTION IN MILLIONS OF BUSHELS
	1987	1991
Maryland	6.1	less than 1
Montana	181.3	32.2
North Dakota	352.6	67.8
New York	7.6	2.1
WAR ZONES
New Jersey	2.5	less than 1
Pennsylvania	9.9	3.2
South Dakota	93.2	8.7
Texas	189.4	110.2
Virginia	18.1	7.8
Wyoming	9.2	2.5
Indiana	68.3	43.2
Iowa	5.1	3.1
Kansas	331.1	170.3
Michigan	46.7	30.2
FALLOUT ZONES
Minnesota	160.2	93.2
Missouri	125.1	87.7
Ohio	83.4	43.8
Nebraska	115.5	23.2
Wisconsin	7.2	3.7

In 1987, these 19 states accounted for 60 percent of all U.S. wheat production. Combined with the overall reduction in the number of farms since 1988, total American wheat production is approximately half of what it was before the war.

The full report, detailing all aspects of U.S. productivity, is available as it Comprehensive Study of American Agricultural Production, 1987–1991, AG92-S1-8. Copies are available for 250 from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Los Angeles, California 90047, or from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in major cities.