Michael Sykuta, an agricultural economist at the University of Missouri, told CNN that a single construction job normally spins off two or perhaps three indirect jobs at most.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The finished five-pound foot was a single-piece construction, hollow (to minimize weight) and with no seams or fasteners.

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The figures came as little surprise, given the dour view single-family construction that has been coming out of recent earnings reports from U.S. home builders.

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