ERS Data and Analysis Can Shed More
Light on Current Events
In the News |
Reserved Land Being Pulled Into Farming (U.S. News and World Report, March 31, 2008) |
From ERS |
Environmental Effects of Agricultural Land-Use Change. ERS examines the consequences of policies and economic changes that increase incentives for crop cultivation and stimulate production on economically marginal or environmentally vulnerable land.
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In the News |
Local Farm-to-Food School Programs Gathering Interest (USA Today. March 24, 2008) |
From ERS |
Evaluation of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program: Report to Congress. ERS produced a review of the pilot program based on program reports, site visits to schools, focus groups, interviews, and a conference of pilot staff and policy stakeholders. The intent of the pilot is to determine the feasibility of such a program and its success as assessed by students’ interest in participating.
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In the News |
Brazil’s Sugar Mills Finding Ethanol More Attractive (Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2008) |
From ERS |
Ethanol Demand Driving the Expansion of Brazil’s Sugar Industry, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook. Rising ethanol demand in global markets is driving the growth of Brazil’s sugar/ethanol complex with new investments in infrastructure and technology. As ethanol in Brazil is made from sugarcane, sugar industry developments are now increasingly linked to policy initiatives in ethanol markets. Sugar represents a particularly important component of Brazil’s economy.
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In the News |
Lawmakers Dispute Administration Plan to Cut Farms’ Pollution Reporting (Associated Press, March 19, 2008) |
From ERS |
Improving Air and Water Quality Can be Two Sides of the Same Coin. Extending air quality laws to cover agriculture would require an understanding of how farmers respond to different policy incentives. A fuller accounting of the multimedia benefits in implementation of conservation programs could result in a redirection of resources to producers who could provide a higher level of overall environmental quality for a given cost.
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In the News |
UN Says Developing Countries Need Help to Address Rising Food Prices (Reuters, March 19, 2008) |
From ERS |
Rising Food Prices Intensify Food Insecurity in Developing Countries. The use of food crops for biofuels, coupled with greater food demand, has reversed the path of declining price trends for several commodities. For highly import-dependent or highly food-insecure countries, any decline in import capacity stemming from rising food prices can have challenging food security implications. Food aid has declined relative to total food imports of low-income countries.
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In the News |
Montana Farmers To Plant Genetically Engineered Sugarbeets (Billings Gazette, March 15, 2008) |
From ERS |
Adoption of Biotechnology and its Production Impacts. During the past decade, the planting of genetically engineered soybeans, cotton, and corn have increased steadily. Adoption of herbicide-tolerant crops, which carry genes that allow them to survive certain herbicides that previously would have destroyed the crop along with the targeted weeds, has been particularly rapid.
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In the News |
Fruit and Vegetable Growers Likely to Gain in Farm Bill (U.S. News and World Report, March 13, 2008) |
From ERS |
The USDA Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program Evaluation. The pilot was popular among most students, parents, school teachers, principals, pilot managers, foodservice staff, and State representatives. Of the 105 schools reporting on feasibility, 100 schools thought that it would be feasible to continue the program beyond the pilot if funding were continued.
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In the News |
Michigan May Be First State To Distribute Food Stamps Twice Monthly (Associated Press, March 9, 2008) |
From ERS |
Can Food Stamps Do More To Improve Food Choices? An Economic Perspective. ERS examines whether the Food Stamp Program could encourage more healthful food choice. Among changes that might help some participants avoid impulsive behavior and make better long-term choices is to allow them to increase the frequency with which their standard food stamp benefits are disbursed.
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In the News |
Report on Rural Prosperity Draws Varying Responses (Omaha World-Herald, March 3, 2008) |
From ERS |
Rural America at a Glance: 2007 Edition. The ERS 2007-edition six-page brochure highlights recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas, including employment, poverty, migration, health, and the impacts of ethanol industry growth.
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In the News |
Western Senators Question Proposal on Beef and Lamb Imports From Argentina (Associated Press, March 3, 2008) |
From ERS |
Beef Production, Markets, and Trade in Argentina and Uruguay: An Overview. Argentina and Uruguay are significant beef exporters and among the world’s highest per capita beef consumers. ERS summarizes information gleaned during a trip to these countries in March 2007.
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In the News |
UN World Food Program Requests Appropriation to Address High Food Prices (Dailies, February 29-March 1, 2008) |
From ERS |
Rising Food Prices Intensify Food Insecurity in Developing Countries. Recent hikes in oil prices have raised serious concerns in low-income countries, both because of the financial burden of the higher energy import bill and potential constraints on imports of necessities like food and raw materials. Use of feed crops for biofuels, coupled with greater food demand spurred by high income growth in populous countries, (e.g., China and India), has reversed the long-term declining price trend for several commodities.
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previous economics behind the headlines
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