In 1970, the Soviet Union produced more than three times the number of tractors and combines that were sold in the U.S.. Despite this, some estimates from this time (including official Soviet estimates) suggest that agricultural output per worker in the U.S. was five times higher than that of the USSR in the 1970s. The Soviet Union prioritized the production of larger vehicles over individual passenger cars, as it was believed that it would be more beneficial to the economy, but agricultural output failed to catch up with the west over the following two decades. In 1988, the difference between the two countries had increased to 11 Soviet tractors or combines produced for every one sold in the U.S..
Production of tractors and combines in the United States and Soviet Union in select years between 1970 and 1988
(in thousands)
Figures for the U.S. are based on sales, figures for the USSR are based on production.
For tractors, only those above 40 horsepower have been included from 1980 onwards, while Soviet data excludes low-horsepower garden tractors and motorized cultivators (but does not specify what counts as "low-horsepower".
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US Census Bureau. (August 1, 1991). Production of tractors and combines in the United States and Soviet Union in select years between 1970 and 1988 (in thousands) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1250576/farm-machinery-production-us-ussr-cold-war/
US Census Bureau. "Production of tractors and combines in the United States and Soviet Union in select years between 1970 and 1988 (in thousands)." Chart. August 1, 1991. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1250576/farm-machinery-production-us-ussr-cold-war/
US Census Bureau. (1991). Production of tractors and combines in the United States and Soviet Union in select years between 1970 and 1988 (in thousands). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1250576/farm-machinery-production-us-ussr-cold-war/
US Census Bureau. "Production of Tractors and Combines in The United States and Soviet Union in Select Years between 1970 and 1988 (in Thousands)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Aug 1991, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1250576/farm-machinery-production-us-ussr-cold-war/
US Census Bureau, Production of tractors and combines in the United States and Soviet Union in select years between 1970 and 1988 (in thousands) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1250576/farm-machinery-production-us-ussr-cold-war/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Production of tractors and combines in the United States and Soviet Union in select years between 1970 and 1988 (in thousands) [Graph], US Census Bureau, August 1, 1991. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1250576/farm-machinery-production-us-ussr-cold-war/
