Development of Agricultural Machinery Use in the Federal Republic of Germany in the Years 1945-1965

Abstract

The mechanization of agriculture in the Federal Republic of Germany in the years 1945-1965 showed an exceptionally dynamic development documented in German agricultural statistics through several census surveys. A comprehensive quantitative analysis of changes in the number and quality of tractors, combine harvesters, and other agricultural machinery in their temporal development and by farm type had not been carried out.
This article analyzes quantitative changes in the main agricultural machinery and tractors in West German agriculture from 1945 to 1965 across five sectors: tractors, harvesting machines (combine harvesters, threshers), soil tillage machines, plant cultivation machines, and livestock machinery (milking installations).
The study draws on official German statistics (Federal Republic agricultural statistics, Statistical Yearbook on Food and Agriculture, EEC agricultural statistics), on the results of the tractor surveys of 1950, 1953, and 1960, and on the author's own earlier research deposited at the Przemysłowy Instytut Maszyn Rolniczych in Poznań.
The analysis shows that the tractor stock rose from approximately 74,600 in 1950 to 1,137,500 in 1965. The agricultural area per tractor fell from 77 ha (1951) to 12.1 ha (1965). Four phases of mechanization can be distinguished: weak mechanization 1946-1949, rapid growth 1950-1954, peak intensity 1955-1961, and relative deceleration 1962-1965. Large farms mechanized earlier and more thoroughly than small farms. In harvesting, the combine harvester dominated from 1955; by 1965, 51% of farms over 20 ha harvested grain with combines. The share of farms with mechanical milking installations rose from 10% (1949) to 71.4% (1965). Negative features included disproportion between highly mechanized and backward farms, and inefficient utilization of machinery capital resulting from low average annual operating hours.