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USDA Economic Research Service - What's New
The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America
Food Security Assessment, 2007 The number of food insecure people in the 70 lower income countries covered in this report rose between 2006 and 2007, from 849 million to 982 million. Food insecure people are those consuming less than the nutritional target of 2,100 calories per day. The food security situation of these countries is projected to deteriorate over the next decade. The distribution gapan indicator of food accessis projected to rise from 44 million tons in 2007 to more than 57 million tons in 2017. This is more than seven times the amount of food aid received by these countries in 2006. Sub-Saharan Africa, already the most vulnerable region with the lowest calorie intake levels, will suffer the greatest deterioration in food security. Longer Run Earnings and Food Stamp Participation This study looks at the relationship between food stamp participation and historical earnings over periods of 10-15 years. Earlier research found that households eligible for the Food Stamp Program that had short-term income declines were less likely to participate than those that had sustained low incomes. This analysis expands on that research by using a data set that matched historical Social Security earnings records to the 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation, allowing examination of the relationship between participation and earnings over a longer timeframe than available previously. The results show some evidence that historical annual earnings as far back as 5 years earlier are negatively and significantly associated with households decisions to participate in the Food Stamp Program; that future earnings, which may proxy for earnings expectations, are also negatively and significantly associated with participation; and that monthly income volatility plays an important role. However, because of weaknesses in the specification of the regression models, findings in this paper are suggestive rather than precise descriptions of the relationship between longer run income and participation. Disclaimer: This study was conducted by The Lewin Group under a research agreement with the Economic Research Service. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ERS or USDA. Agricultural Outlook Statistical Indicators Statistical Indicators previously published in Agricultural Outlook addressing a broad spectrum of agriculture-related issues. Includes commodity and food prices, general economic indicators, government program expenditures, farm income estimates, and trade and export statistics. Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S. This data product summarizes the extent of adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant genetically engineered crops in the United States. Data cover GE varieties of corn, cotton, and soybeans over the 2000-2008 period, by State. Prioritizing Invasive Species Management by Optimizing Production of Ecosystem Service Benefits This report examined how decisions to invest in invasive species management on public lands could incorporate economic concepts to better gauge the level of social benefits generated and how optimization models could be applied to produce the maximum potential gains in ecosystem services. Findings suggested that management decisions were effectively modeled using GIS-based decision support tools, providing a means to reveal assumptions and allow greater input by the public and scientific community into the decision-making process. The optimization model results suggested that benefits achieved through invasive species treatment might be improved if multiple ecosystem service benefits were considered simultaneously when choosing sites and treatment options rather than choosing options that maximized a particular ecosystem service. Disclaimer: This study was conducted under Research Agreement No. 43-3AEM-3-80092 with the Economic Research Service. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ERS or USDA. Pesticide Resistance, Population Dynamics, and Invasive Species Management This report describes a dynamic bioeconomic simulation model that represents the biological, economic, and regulatory features of a specific invasion management problem: the late 1990s invasion of California strawberries by the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, and the pesticide use restrictions imposed by California regulators to manage pesticide resistance. The model has three components: the population dynamics of the greenhouse whitefly, a population-yield damage function, and grower profit maximization. Use regulations are introduced as constraints on the growers decision. The cost of the regulations during a single season resulted in the restriction to 2 or fewer applications of pyriproxyfen which always reduced profits. Applying imidaclopid at planting always increased profits. The regulation, which restricts use of imidacloprid at planting only, does not offset the cost of the restriction to 2 or fewer applications of pyriproxyfen per season. Instead, a third application of pyriproxyfen and imidacloprid are complements, so the cost of the 2-application limit per grower is larger when imidacloprid is applied at planting. The requirement regarding the timing of the first application of pyriproxyfen reduced profits. Comparing the regulations benefit in slowed resistance to the reduction in profits over a 6-year period shows that there are some conditions under which use regulations provide a net benefit. Regulation, however, does not substitute for coordination among growers when seeking to control the greenhouse whitefly. Greater profits are possible through coordination, even under regulation. Disclaimer: This study was conducted under Research Agreement No. 43-3AEM-3-80081 with the Economic Research Service. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ERS or USDA. State Export Data Annual estimates of U.S. exports by State and commodity group based on each States' share of U.S. agricultural production. These ERS estimates are based on two key sources of data. Export data are national-level Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States (FATUS) data from USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, which are not separable by State. ERS also uses State-level historical production data from USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service to determine State export shares for U.S. crops and livestock. Using these approximations, a State that is the largest producer of an agricultural commodity will also account for the largest share of U.S. exports of that commodity. Compared with other estimates, these estimates of State of export origin tend to be more accurate for agricultural commodities and do not inflate the relative exports from port States or undercount those of inland States. The Economic Organization of U.S. Broiler Production Broiler production in the United States is coordinated almost entirely through systems of production contracts, in which a growers compensation is based, in part, on how the growers performance compares with that of other growers. The industry is undergoing a gradual structural change as production shifts to larger broiler enterprises that provide larger shares of an operators household income. Larger enterprises require substantially larger investments in broiler housing, and new or retrofitted houses are also an important source of productivity growth in the industry. This report, based on a large and representative survey of broiler operations, describes the industrys organization, housing features, contract design, fees and enterprise cost structures, and farm and household finances. Vegetables and Melons Outlook Provides current intelligence and forecasts the effects of changing conditions in the U.S. vegetables and melons sector (including potatoes, pulses, and mushrooms). Topics include production, consumption, shipments, prices received, trade, and more. Monthly Milk Cost of Production Monthly milk cost of production estimates are available by State from January 2003 to the previous month.

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