ERS Data and Analysis Can Shed More
Light on Current Events
In the News
|
Higher Commodity
Prices Affect Food Programs (Des Moines
Register, April 24, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Issues
in Food Assistance—The Emergency Food
Assistance System: Findings from the Client
Survey. Food pantries and emergency kitchens
play an important role in feeding America's
low-income and needy populations. These organizations
are part of the Emergency Food Assistance
System (EFAS), a network run largely by private
organizations with some Federal support. In
a typical month in 2001, food pantries served
about 12.5 million people, and emergency kitchens
served about 1.1 million people. |
|
In the News
|
Administration
Is Building Support for Buying Some Food Aid
Commodities Abroad (New York Times, April
22, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Food
Security Assessment, 2005. ERS estimates
and projects the number of malnourished people
globally, regionally, and in each of 70 lower
income countries studied. ERS also projects
the extent of the distribution gap: (the amount
of food needed to raise consumption of each
income group to the nutritional requirement). |
|
In the News
|
Ag Committee Chairmen
Differ on Crop Insurance, Disaster Relief
(Congressional Quarterly, April 20, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Why
Hasn't Crop Insurance Eliminated Disaster
Assistance? The U.S. Government has promoted
crop insurance over disaster payments as a
primary risk management tool. Subsidies to
encourage producer participation have been
steadily increased. But, despite gains in
insurance coverage, disaster payments remain
high. |
|
In the News
|
Organic Growers
Lobby Congress on Farm Bill (San Francisco
Chronicle, April 19, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Organic
Production, 1992-2005. ERS provides data
showing the change in U.S. organic acreage
and livestock numbers from 1992 to 2005. The
demand for organic agricultural products has
been growing. The total amount of U.S. certified
organic cropland has grown from about 400,000
acres in 1992 to over 1.7 million acres in
2005. State data are included. |
|
In the News
|
Ethanol Boom a
Factor in Food Price Rise This Year (Wall
Street Journal, April 17, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Analysis
and Forecasts of the CPI for Food. “In
2007, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all
food is projected to increase 2.5 to 3.5 percent,
as retailers pass on higher commodity and
energy costs to consumers in the form of slightly
higher retail prices.” ERS updates its
analysis and forecasts monthly. |
|
In the News
|
Senator Harkin
Urges Emphasis on Conservation in Farm Programs
(Reuters, April 17, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Greening
Income Support and Supporting Green. “Green
payments” refer broadly to farm payment
programs that would merge farm income support
and conservation payments. Most producers
do not receive both commodity and conservation
program payments, so melding income and conservation
programs would likely require some compromise
of income support and environmental objectives.
|
|
In the News
|
Selling “Pollution
Credits” (New York Times, April 13,
2007) |
| From ERS |
Environmental
Credit Trading: Can Farming Benefit? Environmental
credit trading is a market-based approach
to comply with regulations that could achieve
pollution abatement goals at a lower cost
than command-and-control regulations that
limit emissions to a set level or require
installation of specific technologies. Farmers
can participate in some credit trading programs
by generating pollution-reduction credits
and selling them to regulated firms. |
|
In the News
|
Ag Secretary Says
Ethanol Boom a Challenge for Livestock Producers
(Associated Press, April 9, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Bioenergy
Briefing Room. With interest in renewable
energy intensifying, an ERS online briefing
room provides information on commodity supply
and demand, retail food prices, and impacts
of bioenergy development on the food/farm
sector. |
|
In the News
|
Tainted Food Shipped
From China Is Recognized Problem (Wall
Street Journal, April 9, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Food
Safety Improvements Underway in China.
Facing growing demand abroad and at home for
safer food, China is overhauling its food
system to meet international food safety standards.
Adverse publicity about contaminated food
exports and growing domestic concerns have
prompted China to improve overall food safety.
Producing safer food for export is challenging,
expensive, and reduces China’s cost
advantage. |
|
In the News
|
Monsanto Will
Likely Raise Forecasts for GM Corn Use (Financial
Times, April 5, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Adoption
of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.
The use of biotechnology-derived corn seeds
grew from 25 percent of all corn planted in
the U.S. in 2000 to 61 percent in 2006. The
adoption of stacked gene varieties (i.e.,
multiple genetically engineered traits) only
accounted for 15 percent of the corn planted
in 2006, but improvements in the productivity
of these varieties may result in an increase
in the share of planting. |
|
In the News
|
Arkansas Firm
Develops New, Fast Test for Foodborne Pathogens
(Associated Press, April 2, 2007) |
| From ERS |
Food
Safety Innovation in the United States: Evidence
from the Meat Industry. Recent industry
innovations improving the safety of the Nation's
meat supply include new pathogen tests, high-tech
equipment, supply chain management systems,
and surveillance networks. The industry has
also developed a number of mechanisms to stimulate
investment in food safety innovations despite
fairly weak market incentives. |
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previous economics behind the headlines
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