Around 1830, producing 100 bushels of wheat required 250 to 300 hours of labor. By 1890, the labor required had decreased to between 40 and 50 hours. Wheat production efficiency improved five to eight times in this period.
In 1850, it took 75 to 90 hours of labor to produce 100 bushels of corn. By 1890, the same amount of corn required only 35 to 40 hours of labor. The amount of corn produced per hour of labor approximately doubled between 1850 and 1890.
Production improvements are linked to innovations such as the use of chemical fertilizers, threshing and mowing machines, and better plows and harrows.
