Happily, American agriculture held four places in the top 50 achievements, determined by college and university professors who were members of the American Historical Assoc. Number 6 Ensure safe food and water. Major credit goes to the US Dept. of Agriculture which has worked with farmers to eradicate livestock diseases, institute inspection services and fund research and testing of new food varieties. In addition, farmers and ranchers maintain 170,000 miles of windbreaks to protect soil and 1.3 million acres of grassed waterways to protect water sources. Number 18 Reduce hunger and improve nutrition.
American farmers lead the world in productivity.
Number 21 Expand foreign markets for US goods. With the help of aggressive export programs and quality American farm products, about 17 percent of raw agricultural commodities are exported yearly. These include 83 million metric tons of cereal grains, 1.6 billion pounds of poultry and 1.4 million metric tons of fresh vegetables. Number 39 Stabilize agricultural prices. According to the United Nations System of National Accounts our citizens spend on average 10.9 percent of income on food.