United States: arable crop production area 1866-1988

The amount of land used for arable crop production increased greatly between the Civil War and the 1920s, however it then fluctuated throughout most of the 20^th century. Looking at the land use of individual crops, maize production required the largest amount of land throughout the given period (in all years except the late-1970s), followed by wheat. Oats generally required the third-highest quantity of land for production, although there was a significant drop off from the 1950s onward. For the remaining crops, land use was much lower, and land use generally increased (rice, sugars, sorghum) or decreased (potatoes, sweet potatoes, buckwheat) around the middle of the 1900s. Interestingly, land use for rye, commonly used in the production of whiskeys and beers, was at its highest in the years surrounding Prohibition.