The US has two million farms that generated over $400 billion in sales in 2021, an average of about $200,000. However, averages in agriculture are misleading because over half of US farms had sales of less than $8,000, while the 70,000 farms that each had sales of $1 million or more accounted for 70 percent of US farm production.
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New Zealand is a net exporter of farm commodities, sending crop and livestock commodities abroad worth $25 billion in 2020 and importing farm commodities worth $5 billion. NZ farm exports include processed food such as milk powder.
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President Biden visited El Paso in January 2023 en route to Mexico City, highlighting continued unauthorized migration over the Mexico-US border. Border Patrol agents encountered over 2,000 unauthorized migrants a day in the El Paso area in December 2022.
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Human history is the story of productivity improvements in agriculture that allow fewer farmers to feed more people, setting the stage for the emergence of cities and ruling elites. In modern times, labor-saving mechanization in agriculture is a response to economic and risk factors. Farmers mechanize when the cost of hand labor exceeds the cost of machine services, and when there is a risk that farm workers may not be available. Rising nonfarm wages draw workers out of agriculture, while biological and engineering innovations make it possible to replace workers with machines.
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Australia is a net food exporter, sending $30 billion worth of crops and livestock commodities a year abroad and importing farm commodities worth $15 billion. Australia exports 70 percent of its farm commodities by value, led by beef and wheat. The major destinations for Australian farm exports are China, Japan, other Asian countries, and Europe.
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