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THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF AGRICULTURE: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE POLICY
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Abstract
Farming is in the midst of a major transformation—not only in technology and production practices, but also in size of business, resource (land) control and operation, business model and linkages with buyers and suppliers. This paper describes the fundamental drivers of today’s structural change in U.S. agriculture. The impact of the drivers are illustrated by describing some illustrations of the kinds of innovative farming operations that are developing in agriculture, not the typical farms but those who appear to be leading and shaping the new agriculture. Finally, farm policy implications of the transformation of farming to an industrial manufacturing model are discussed.Farm policy, industrialization of agriculture, structural change, biological manufacturing