Short answers, pulled from the story.
The year 1979 marked the first public report of a startling historical anomaly. Researchers found that American men were getting shorter just as the nation grew wealthier.
A second study in 1987 confirmed these results using data from West Point cadets. Military records provided concrete measurements to validate the earlier claims about national decline.
Cotton production reached 2,136 thousand bales by 1850, representing over fifty-three percent of total exports. Tobacco and cotton became known colloquially as starvation crops among some agriculturalists.
The 1840 level was not recovered until 1870 when conditions finally improved. Wheat, rye, pork, and beef saw their per capita production drop significantly after 1840.
Farmers grew more cotton and tobacco than ever before, but grain supplies did not keep pace with demand. The system produced plenty of cash crops but could not feed its own people effectively.