What percentage of US jobs are in production farming?

• A. 2%
• B. 10%
• C. 5%
• D. 20%

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that production farming employs only a small share of the U.S. workforce. Advances in machinery and farming technology let a relatively large amount of food be produced with fewer workers, so the on-farm labor force is quite small compared to the overall economy. A big portion of agriculture-related activity happens in processing, packaging, distribution, and other support roles, which aren’t counted as on-farm production jobs. Because of that, about two percent of U.S. jobs are in production farming. The other options would imply a much larger farming workforce than is typically observed, which is why they’re not correct.