1940s to Present Day World War II focused attention away from the Depression. At the same time, the drought ended. Attempts were made at farm diversification. Producers included beef, pork and egg production in their agricultural operations. Crops improved greatly, increasing the need for farm machinery and farm labourers. Demand for grain did not keep up with crop production, creating an oversupply. The late 1940s and early 1950s brought good crops, overflowing elevators and low prices. Farms grew larger and more specialized. Larger farms meant a decline in rural population and an increase in the number of large tractors and power­driven machinery. Fodder and feed grain shortages and low livestock prices in the late 1950s did little to encourage livestock production. Mixed farming became common only in the parkland area. Although prices remained low and crop yields were generally poor until the early 1960s, farms continued to get larger and mechanization continued to grow. A bumper crop produced in 1963 began a number of years of good crop yields. Stockpiles of wheat were built up, resulting in lower prices. According to some agriculturalists, there were a number of reasons for increased yields in the 1960s. the weather the increased use of chemicals improved farm management techniques and farm equipment In the late 1960s, crop yields improved to the point that congestion occurred in the grain handling system. The federal government introduced the LIFT program to alleviate the problem of congestion through a reduction in production. Under this program grain producers were encouraged by the federal government to reduce seeded acreages. In 1967 lack of rain during the growing season was followed by too much rain. This resulted in poor quality grain and the need to dry the grain in order to store it. According to Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, from 1941 to 1971 the number of farms decreased from 139,000 to 77,000. The average size of farms increased by almost 100%. The 1970s saw commodity prices rise, adding money to the provincial economy. The price of wheat and land was high, as were the prices of farm machinery, fertilizer, fuel, labour and financing. Saskatchewan farmers grew wheat and some feed grains such as barley. Farmers were encouraged to diversify into livestock. The late 1970s and early 1980s brought good crops; high inflation rates; high interest rates; and, increasing land prices. Between 1976 and 1981 the amount of land cropped increased by more than 10,000,000 acres. Good crops and high prices encouraged farmers to reduce the number of acres of summerfallow and cultivate and crop marginal land, much of it native grassland. After the skyrocketing interest rates of the early 1980s, interest rates and the rate of inflation fell in the mid 1980s. Farm costs continued to be high in relation to product prices. Farm debt rose, land values dropped and land sales slowed. The price of grain was low, and was to fall even lower in the early 1990s. Livestock prices rose, but little money was available to invest in livestock. Today, more farmers practice minimum tillage, utilizing crop rotation as part of their management plan. There is a trend away from monoculture (the production of the same crop year after year) and toward agricultural diversification. Specialty crops, livestock and operations are more common today than ever before. Saskatchewan farms produce everything from dairy products, beef and poultry, cereal and oilseed crops to herbs, dry beans and "special" livestock such as ostrich and Katadin sheep.