 Agriculture evolved from an individual occupation into a major industry after World War II . Technological developments increased productivity on farms , such as automation of feedlots for hogs and cattle , machine milking at dairy farms , and raising chickens in large buildings . Planting also became more specialized with hybridization of corn and wheat , fertilization , and mechanical equipment such as tractors and combines became the norm . University of Minnesota professor Norman Borlaug contributed to this knowledge as part of the Green Revolution . Large canneries such as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company fed the country from Minnesota 's productive farmland . 
