What factors led to a dramatic expansion in American wheat production?

The dramatic expansion in American wheat production was due to:

(i) Use of new technology. To break the sod and turn the soil over, a variety of new ploughs were devised locally, some of them 12 feet long. Their front rested on small wheels and they were pitched onto 6 yokes of oxen or horses.

(ii) By 20th century farmers were breaking ground with tractors and disk ploughs, clearing vast stretches for wheat cultivation.

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(iii) Before 1830’s grain was harvested with a cradle or sickle. In 1831 Cyrus Mc Cormick invented the first mechanical reaper. Use of mechanical reaper helped save time, labour and was cost effective.

(iv) Use of combined harvesters by early 20th century was another step forward. With one of these machines 500 acres of wheat could be harvested in 2 weeks.

(v) The new machines allowed the farmers to rapidly clear large tracts, break up the soil, remove the grass and prepare for cultivation. The work could be done quickly with minimal labour. With power driven machinery, four men could plough, seed and harvest 2,000 to 4,000 acres of wheat in a season.

(vi) The spread of railways also made it easy to transport grain from west growing region to the eastern coast for export. Expanding urban population and increased demands due to the First World War also encouraged farmers to expand wheat cultivation.

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(vii) Booming export market and increase in prices.