Multiple forms of technology are available to improve production on the United States’ 2 million farms of all sizes. Beyond computer and Internet access, which is available on about 71 percent of U.S. crop farms (2013 report), various methods of technology are used in coordination with one another to increase efficiency, minimize labor and enhance sustainability.

Technology has led to production practices such as conservation tillage or no-tillage, which has reduced labor, conserved capital and energy, improved water quality and provided wildlife habitat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2012 Ag Census estimates 474,000 farms use no-till or conservation tillage methods on approximately 173 million acres.

USDA reports precision agriculture practices such as variable-rate technologies, yield monitors, and GPS were used for 72 percent of corn in 2010; 62 percent of sorghum and 60 percent of barley acreage utilized the technology in 2011.

Furthermore, USDA Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS) reports show farms using herbicide-tolerant crops are able to substantially reduce labor hours per acre of land. Additional figures are available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/arms-farm-financial-and-crop-production-practices/