ERS reports and studies
can provide context to breaking stories on food, agriculture,
natural resources, and rural development.
In the News
USDA Forecasts
Record Farm Exports at $61.5 Billion (Wires, 5/25/04)
From ERS
U.S.
Agricultural Exports Forecast at a Record
$61.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2004.
Export growth in fiscal 2004 reflects higher
volumes and higher unit values for feedgrains,
rice, cotton, beef, and many horticultural
products. The improved outlook is due to
favorable exchange rates, strong global economic
growth, reduced competition for wheat, corn
and cotton markets, and China's robust demand
for oilseeds and cotton. On the other hand,
a smaller U.S. soybean crop and BSE-related
bans on U.S. beef exports are factors restraining
export expansion.
In the News
GAO Calls for Examination of Drugs in Animals (Reuters,
5/24/04)
From ERS
Antimicrobial Drug Use and Veterinary
Costs in U.S. Livestock Production.
Feeding low levels of antimicrobial drugs
to livestock affects food safety, human
health, and livestock production costs
and returns. This report examines the economics
of antimicrobial resistance in livestock
and the economic implications of banning
the use of growth-enhancing antimicrobial
drugs in livestock production.
In the News
USDA Approves $2.7 Million For
Mississippi Water Projects (AP,
5/20/04)
From ERS
Economic
Impact of Rural Water and Sewer Facilities (pdf).
Rural areas and small towns can derive significant
economic benefits from building new water and wastewater
plants that assure an adequate supply of clean water.
An ERS analysis of data from the U.S. Department of
Commerce's Economic Development Administration found
that rural communities derived sizeable economic benefits
from water and sewer projects, including an increase
in available jobs, more private investments, and a
rise in property tax base.
In the News
Guidelines on Organic Labeling Repealed (N.Y. Times
5/27/04)
From ERS
Recent Growth Patterns in the U.S.
Organic Foods Market. As U.S.
consumer interest in organic foods continues
to gather momentum, many firms are specializing
in growing, processing, and marketing an
ever-widening array of organic products.
This report provides economic research
on recent growth patterns in the U.S. organic
sector, describes the marketing channels
for major organic commodity groups, and
summarizes USDA research, regulatory, and
other ongoing programs on organic agriculture.
In the News
Soaring Energy Prices Hinder
Strong U.S. Farm Economy (Reuters, 5/24/04)
From ERS
Characteristics
and Production Costs. These reports examine
how production costs vary among producers of different
commodities, including details on production practices
and input use as well as farm operator and structural
characteristics.
In the News
USDA sets meeting on CRP's future
(Reuters,
5/15/04)
From ERS
ERS
report looks at land retirement.
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
remains the largest U.S. agricultural land
conservation program. Re-authorized by
the 1996 Farm Act at a time when commodity
prices were high, consideration was given
to early release of some contracts, and
more careful targeting of enrolled acreage
to maximize environmental benefits. The
emphasis on targeting for environmental
benefits continues, as the criteria for
enrollment have evolved and other forms
of targeting, such as the continuous CRP
signup and Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program, have emerged.
In the News
ITC says milk protein imports have
little impact on farm prices (AP 5/18)
From ERS
Livestock,
Dairy and Poultry Outlook looks at Milk prices (pdf).
Milk Prices to Moderate in 2005. With milk production
likely to stay below a year earlier through most of
2004, the key to how long dairy prices stay high will
be the strength of demand recovery. Restaurant demand
came back after more than two years of sluggishness,
joining the earlier recovery in retail and (to a lesser
extent) food processor use. Cheese demand was so brisk
that cheese production not only pulled very large amounts
of milk from other uses, but also apparently used so
much nonfat dry milk that the seemingly endless surplus
of skim solids virtually disappeared.
In the News
WHO presents global plan to fight
obesity (USA Today, 5/18)
From ERS
The
Economics of Obesity. Although
high health, social, and economic costs are
known to be associated with obesity, the
underlying causes of weight gain are less
understood. At a basic level, weight gain
and obesity are the result of individual
choices. Consequently, economics, as a discipline
that studies how individuals use limited
resources to attain alternative ends, can
provide unique insight into the actions and
forces that cause individuals to gain excessive
weight. In April 2003, ERS and the University
of Chicago's Irving B. Harris Graduate School
of Public Policy Studies and the George J.
Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy
and the State hosted a workshop on the Economics
of Obesity. The purpose was to provide an
overview of leading health economics research
on the causes and consequences of rising
obesity in the United States.
In the News
Rural areas seek economic, government solutions
(Kansas
City Star 5/18)
From ERS
Farm Policy, Farm
Households, and the Rural Economy. ERS
research explores how investments in rural people,
businesses, and communities affect the capacity of
rural economies to prosper in a changing global marketplace.
Equally important are efforts to enhance the quality
of life for the Nation's small farmers who are increasingly
dependent on these rural economies for their employment
and economic support.
In the News
U.S.
Trade Representative Optimistic About EU Export
Goal (Reuters, 5/3/04)
From ERS
The
European Union Adds 10 New Members.
On May 1, 2004, 10 countries joined the
European Union (EU)—eight of the
formerly Communist Central and East European
(CEE) countries (Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania,
and Estonia) plus Cyprus and Malta. This
is the largest expansion in the history
of the EU and will bring profound changes
to Europe. The EU-15 already had a larger
value of agricultural production than the
United States. The EU-25 will be an even
larger presence on the global agricultural
market. Expansion increased the EU’s
population by 28 percent larger and it
arable acreage by nearly 40 percent. Grain
area in the 10 candidate countries totaled
16 million hectares in 2000, nearly half
the grain area in the EU-15.
In the News
USDA May Give Incentives for Soil and
Water Stewardship (Reuters, 5/1/04)
From ERS
Emphasis
Shifts in U.S. Agri-Environmental Policy.
Recognizing the negative impact that
some farming practices can have on our
Nation's natural resources, policymakers
have been devoting more attention and
funding to agri-environmental policies
and programs. Until 2002, the bulk of
conservation funds went toward land retirement.
The new Farm Act authorizes increases
in conservation funding, with about two-thirds
of the new funds going to programs emphasizing
conservation on working lands.
In the News
Tourism May Boost Investment in Cuban Fruit
(Reuters,
5/3/04)
From ERS
Cuba's
Tropical Fruit Industry. Cuba's
tropical fruit industry primarily caters
to domestic markets with fresh fruits that
are Cuban diet staples. Plantains and bananas
account for over 70 percent of production.
Tropical fruit production fell with Cuba's
collapsing economy in the early 1990s. With
ideal climate and land resources, production
potential remains high. Production and demand
will both recover and grow as Cuba's economy
recovers. If commercial relationships with
the United States were restored, Cuba could
initially look to U.S. sources for quality
tropical fruits for Cuba's growing tourist
market. Eventually, as Cuba's economy and
its tropical fruit sector recover, the United
States could provide new market opportunities
for an increasingly competitive Cuban tropical
fruit sector.
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