Final answer:
Technological advancements and innovative farming practices significantly changed farms since George's dad owned one, leading to increased efficiency and production but also causing economic difficulties and social changes in the agriculture sector.
Step-by-step explanation:
Farms have undergone significant changes since George's dad owned the farm, as the advancement of technology and innovation during and after the Industrial Revolution transformed agricultural practices dramatically. The arrival of a more extensive railroad network and the development of new farm machinery, such as gasoline-powered farm tools like tractors, seed drills, threshers, and combine harvesters, allowed for more efficient farming and larger scale production. These technological advancements, along with changes in farming practices, such as the encouragement to plant large fields of a single crop and new methods of storing, processing, and transporting crops, significantly increased farm production. However, these changes also led to economic challenges and a shift in the social structure of agriculture, with large commercial farms growing in prominence and small family farms facing hardships that led some to become migrant workers or sharecroppers.