Growth in agricultural productivity and the migration of labor from agriculture to other employment has been a source of growth for the whole economy. From the times of pioneer settlement in Utah, more than 130 years ago, agricultural production has declined as a proportion of total economic activity. Employment, personal income, gross sales, and other measures can be shown to have declined as a proportion of the totals of these measures for the state. Yet, it is this very decline in dependence on workers producing food that has helped the economy to grow in size and variety both in Utah and throughout the nation
