GRAYSON CO., TX - The United States Department of Agriculture reported that the amount of land dedicated to crops has dropped for the second straight year in a row. But local farmers say this has been the case for a while and it actually means success.

"I grew up right here, my dad was a cotton farmer right here in this area so I've been here all my life,” said local farmer Bruce Wetzel.

Wetzel took over the family business of farming. He doesn't grow cotton anymore; now he grows wheat, corn, soy beans and sun flowers near Whitewright and Tom Bean.

"Our Texas weather is pretty extreme you know, so we're not doing very well locally as far as financial goes, we had a bad crop last year,” said Wetzel.

He said it can be tough these days, but there are some good things that come of his labor. Now thanks to new technology he can produce more bushels with less land.

"We spend a lot of time out here working hard in the heat, but there are some bright spots,” he said.

The USDA reported that cropland has declined 6 million acres nationwide since 2008. But farmers continue to yield more crops. In 2010, the USDA estimates farmers planted 318.9 acres of crops. That’s down from 319.3 million in 2009 and 325 million in 2008.

Despite the decline in crop land, the USDA reported a record corn crop of 13.3 billion bushels is expected in 2010.

"Our population continues to grow, but our acres of land that's fit for producing food continues to shrink, so it's a wonderful thing that we're able to produce more on fewer acres,” said Wetzel.

He said he's become much more efficient over the years thanks to advances in the farming industry.

"Seed genetics is a big thing, and fertilizer and tillage technique is another part of it,” he explained.

The benefits of producing more crops on less land can be seen in your local grocery store. It's estimated in the 1960's Americans spent about 24% of their disposable income on food. And in 2009 that number was down to about 16% on food.