Table 6. The number of fanns and the area (thousands of acres) of farm lands 

 and use in intermittent years, 1954-78 (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau 

 of Census, Census of Agriculture annual summaries for 1954-79; Florida Crop 

 and Livestock Reporting Service. Annual field and crop summary 1979). 



^Not fully comparable for all years because of differences in definition of a 

 farm and of cropland used for pasture. 



"^Data for 1979. 



The introduction of new machinery has made the cultivation of large farms 

 more efficient and less costly per acre than smaller farms. Consequently, many 

 small farms are absorbed as the demand for large-scale operations increases. 

 This trend explains why the average acreage per farm steadily increased in 

 1954-78. Many of the innovations that have contributed to the phenomenal 

 growth in farm production and farming methods have aroused public concern; the 

 increase in the application of chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides have 

 caused water pollution in some areas of Florida. This topic will be discussed 

 in detail later in this report. 



The increase in farming technology in recent years in the United States 

 has caused a decline in farm employment (Greene et al . 1980). Florida is an 

 exception. Employment in agriculture has increased because many of Florida's 

 crops can not yet be cultivated or cropped mechanically. Any increase in 

 demand for farm products, such as oranges and grapefruit, creates an increase 

 in the demand for labor and other nonmechanical inputs. The exceptions are 

 the animal industries and some field crops that use mechanization as a substi- 

 tute for labor. 



MAJOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS 



Citrus and Other Fruits 



Citrus fruits, the State's main agricultural product, accounts for over 

 30 percent of all farm cash receipts (Greene et al . 1980). Florida is the 

 Nation's largest supplier of oranges and is among the world's largest fruit 



95 



