Editing History of Missouri (section)

===Agricultural and economic life===
From the end of World War II through the 1990s, Missouri agriculture underwent significant changes.<ref name="larsen 8">Larsen (2004), 8.</ref> In 1945, Missouri had more than 240,000 farms; by 1997, the number of farms decreased by 59 percent to less than 99,000.<ref name="larsen 8"/> A variety of technological innovations and advances caused the decline, which allowed fewer Missouri farmers to produce an equivalent amount of food.<ref name="larsen 9">Larsen (2004), 9.</ref> In tandem, rural Missouri counties lost population, and during the period of 1954 to 1997, the average size of Missouri farms increased from 170 to nearly 300 acres.<ref name="larsen 9"/> Despite these structural changes, crop yields were stable during the period, and the state continued to have a relatively diverse agricultural base.<ref name="larsen 9"/><ref name="larsen 10">Larsen (2004), 10.</ref>

Another area of economic change during the late 20th century was the decline of lumbering and milling.<ref name="larsen 11">Larsen (2004), 11.</ref> During the 1920s, as a result of overcutting, the [[Long-Bell Lumber Company]] moved most of its Missouri operations to other states, and much of Missouri's woodlands were depleted by the 1950s.<ref name="larsen 11"/> By the late 20th century, shortleaf pine forests had been largely replaced by smaller woods of hardwood trees.<ref name="larsen 11"/> Despite its decline from importance, in 2001, lumbering was a $3&nbsp;billion industry.<ref name="larsen 12">Larsen (2004), 12.</ref>

During the 1960s lead mining again became a significant industry in Missouri as a result of the 1948 discovery of the Viburnum Trend in the New Lead Belt region of the [[Southeast Missouri Lead District]].<ref name="larsen 12"/> The Old Lead Belt (also part of the Southeast Missouri Lead District) suffered a slow decline, however, and the last of the mines in that region closed by 1972.<ref name="larsen 12"/> Both iron and coal mining also expanded during the late 1960s; however, employment in mining declined overall during the late 20th century.<ref name="larsen 12"/>

Among the fastest growing segments of the economy was the accommodation and food services industry, but it was paired with a steep decline in manufacturing.<ref name="larsen 15">Larsen (2004), 15.</ref> Among the greatest declines was that of stockyards and meatpacking; in 1944, Kansas City was the second-largest meatpacking city in the United States, but by the 1990s, the city had neither packing plants nor stockyards.<ref name="larsen 15"/> In addition, garment manufacturing, which had previously employed thousands of workers in Kansas City prior to the 1950s, fell out of existence by the late 1990s.<ref name="larsen 15"/> Statewide, another industry that declined dramatically was shoemaking, which employed fewer than 3,000 Missourians in 2001.<ref name="larsen 20">Larsen (2004), 20.</ref>

Despite its decline, manufacturing continued to play a role in the state's economy. Kansas City maintained a manufacturing base in its eastern Leeds industrial district, including automotive plants and an atomic weapon components plant.<ref name="larsen 16">Larsen (2004), 16.</ref> St. Louis maintained an industrial base with Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto, Ralston Purina, and several automotive plants.<ref name="larsen 18">Larsen (2004), 18.</ref> In the other four urban areas of the state (Springfield, St. Joseph, Joplin, and Columbia), the largest economic sector was manufacturing, with a combined output of more than $10&nbsp;billion.<ref name="larsen 19">Larsen (2004), 19.</ref>

A relatively new sector of the Missouri economy developed in 1994 with the legalization of riverboat gambling in the state.<ref name="larsen 34">Larsen (2004), 34.</ref> The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] denied riverboat gambling cruises, which in practice led to permanently moored barges with extensive superstructures.<ref name="larsen 34"/> Missouri gambling also included a lottery, which had been in place for several years prior to the legalization of casino gaming.<ref name="larsen 34"/>