WHEN THE MACHINES CAME FOR AMERICAN JOBS

“FARM MECHANIZATION HAS JUST BEGUN,” proclaimed the cover of Fortune's October 1948 edition. And indeed, the rise of machines such as the tractor was causing profound changes in the American workforce, the accompanying article explained: “In 1800 three out of four in the working population were in agriculture...In 1948 only one in seven U.S. workers is needed to provide the nation’s food.” That trend continued: In 2003, Fortune reported that the agricultural workforce made up just 2% of employment—yet farms still produced a more-than-adequate bounty for American consumption and export.

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Now that percentage is closer to 1%, and our agricultural output is higher than ever. Did the replacement of farmworkers with machines derail the American workforce? Not exact