Documentation

Scope

The purpose of the Vegetables and Pulses Data product is to collect, categorize, summarize, and present stakeholders with timely and accurate data on vegetable and pulse commodities in an easy to utilize format. These data can be used to inform decision-making processes, guide research questions, and provide insights into commodity market trends. The potential impact of this product is significant, as it can influence policy decisions, inform agricultural practices, and guide business strategies within the vegetable and pulse sectors.

The Vegetables and Pulses Data product is unique in its focus on both fresh and processed vegetable and pulse commodities, specifically in terms of trade and price indices. While other data products may provide information on agricultural commodities more broadly, this product offers a detailed view of the vegetable and pulse sectors specifically, focusing on trade and price indices over the past 5 years. It provides a comprehensive set of data including price, import, and export data, as well as consumer and producer price indexes for selected commodities. This makes it a valuable resource for anyone seeking detailed insights into these markets.

Coverage of Data:

  • The data products contain model-derived estimates, summary statistics, and visualizations about vegetables and pulses, including commodity-specific data on fresh and processed-product markets (canned, frozen, dried, and other). The commodities covered include major fresh-market and processing vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms, dry pulses, and specialty vegetables and herbs.
  • The scope of the data for all the data products are available for download in a machine readable .csv file format at VegetablesPulsesScope.csv and VegetablesPulsesScopeReadme.txt.

Updates:

Marketing Years:

  • Marketing years often begin in one calendar year and end in the next—for example, 2010/11 refers to the marketing year beginning in 2010 and ending in 2011. Information on State-level marketing years and marketing seasons for pulse crops can be found in USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service's Crop Values Annual Summary and in the Potato Annual Summary for potatoes. The national-level marketing years ERS uses are:
    • Fresh market and processing vegetables, January 1–December 31
    • Mushrooms, July 1–June 30
    • Potatoes, September 1–August 31
    • Sweet potatoes, July 1–June 30
    • Dry beans, September 1–August 31
    • Dry peas and lentils, July 1–June 30
    • Chickpeas, September 1–August 31

Methods

Collection Methods: The data for these products are compiled from various public and industry sources such as USDA, Economic Research Service; USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, Market News; California County Agricultural Commissioners; North Dakota State University; and the National Onion Association. For information on data quality, please see information available from source agencies. Links to source agency data resources are found under the “Resources” heading below.

Sources: A machine-readable .csv file provides the sources for the products and is accompanied by a readme text file.

Accuracy Measures: Vegetables and pulses statistics utilized in ERS data products are primarily estimates, i.e., approximations. This reflects the nature of agricultural data, which often allows economists to represent market trends while acknowledging the variability inherent in agricultural data collection and reporting. To quantify the uncertainty of an estimate, social scientists and statisticians use a measure called "standard error." For example, if the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) aimed to estimate the average size of tomato fields in the United States, it might survey a sample of growers. Because different samples could lead to slightly different estimates, the standard error provides an indication of how close these estimates are to the actual average, achievable only by surveying every tomato grower in the country.

  • The ERS vegetables and pulses team relies on accuracy measures from trusted sources and does not independently calculate standard errors. In synthesizing data from various Government and reputable industry sources to offer a holistic market overview, the task sometimes involves transforming the original source data. For instance, changing units of measurement for different commodities allows the vegetables and pulses team to perform calculations and collectively report on them as a group, enabling comparisons that would not be possible if each commodity were reported in disparate units. Methods like addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division are applied in instances where they facilitate the integration of various datasets into a cohesive picture. While these transformations are selectively employed to create a comprehensive perspective, they may introduce an additional level of uncertainty. This is carefully considered in the analysis to ensure the integrity of the data.
  • The documentation is designed to simplify the process for stakeholders to trace the origins of the information presented, promoting a deeper understanding of the source data. For detailed exploration of statistical methodologies and insights into accuracy measures like standard errors and statistical reliability, consult the primary sources ERS has cited, such as NASS, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), or other official Government sources. These reports often contain a "Statistical Methodology" section detailing standard errors. Should a report lack measures of statistical reliability, stakeholders are encouraged to directly contact the report's authors.
  • Adhering to this approach, ERS demonstrates its commitment to transparency and accuracy measures, providing stakeholders with thorough market analyses. This commitment ensures that the decisions made by users are informed by comprehensive and trustworthy data products.

Construction Methods: The data are organized into tables, visualizations, and machine-readable .csv files, providing a comprehensive view of the sector. For the Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Tables specifically, it clearly details both sides of the market equation for the sector and its major fresh and processed commodities. Not all commodities have stocks, shrink and loss, or seed use estimates.

Estimation Methods: The estimation methods vary across the data products, but they generally involve statistical techniques and modeling approaches to generate the most accurate and reliable estimates possible.

  • For the Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Tables, estimation methods involve using a balance sheet approach to estimate supply and availability statistics for each commodity. This involves balancing production, plus imports, with availability (exports, domestic availability). The term "availability" is used in place of the older term "use" and they can be considered synonymous in this context.
  • The Commodity Highlights Visualization uses the data and calculations from the Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Tables without any additional estimation methods, but it also offers harvest acreage from the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture.

Units of Measure: The units of measure used in each data product are provided below:

  • Vegetables and Pulses Data
    • Average retail prices from Bureau of Labor Statistics are in dollars per pound unless otherwise indicated.
    • Import and export data are reported in metric units (e.g., metric tons or liters) by the U.S. Census Bureau and converted to domestic (English) units by ERS (e.g., 1,000 pounds or 1,000 gallons).
  • Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Tables
    • Prices for fresh-market crops are reported in dollars per cwt (hundredweight). Processing crops are reported in dollars per ton by USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, unless otherwise indicated.
    • Import and export volume data are reported in metric units (e.g., metric tons or liters) by the U.S. Census Bureau and converted to domestic (English) units by ERS (e.g., million pounds).
    • Production for fresh market vegetables, potatoes, and pulse crops are reported in thousand hundredweight (a unit equivalent to 100,000 pounds), processing vegetables are reported in tons, and mushrooms are reported in thousand pounds by USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service and converted to domestic (English) units by ERS (e.g., million pounds) unless otherwise indicated.
    • Per capita availability is reported in pounds by USDA, Economic Research Service unless otherwise indicated.
  • Selected Weekly Fresh-Market Vegetable Movement and Price
    • The market volume, FOB shipping-point, and advertised retail changes from the previous week and the previous seasonal year are in percentages.
    • The FOB shipping-point prices are expressed in dollars per hundredweight.
    • The advertised retail prices are in cents per pound.

Strengths and Limitations

The vegetables and pulses resources have their own unique strengths and potential limitations. It's important to note that while these resources cover a wide range of commodities, they may not include every single vegetable and pulse commodity. Therefore, users seeking information on less common or niche commodities may not find the data they need. Additionally, while some of the data are presented in its raw form with minor unit transformations for ease of comparison across commodities, users may need to have a certain level of expertise or familiarity with the data to interpret and use it effectively. Users should consider these when using the data for research, policy formulation, or decision-making processes.

  • Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Tables: The strength of this data product lies in its comprehensive coverage of a wide variety of vegetables and pulses. It provides a detailed balance sheet of the sector and its major fresh and processed commodities, offering nuanced insight into consumption trends and market shifts. However, the data are updated annually, which may not capture short-term market fluctuations.
  • Commodity Highlights Visualization: This data product stands out for its interactive interface, which translates complex data into visual formats, allowing user interaction and exploration. It also includes harvested area data from USDA, NASS Census of Agriculture, providing information on the harvested acreage for over 70 individual vegetable and pulse commodity markets. However, the visualization is dependent on the data from the Yearbook Tables, and any limitations in the Yearbook data would also apply to the visualization.
  • Vegetables and Pulses Data: This data product is unique in its focus on both fresh and processed vegetable and pulse commodities, specifically in terms of trade and price indices. It provides a comprehensive set of data including price, import, and export data, as well as consumer and producer price indexes for selected commodities. However, users of this data may need to have a certain level of expertise or familiarity with the data to interpret and use it effectively.
  • Selected Weekly Fresh-Market Vegetable Movement and Price: This report offers insights into weekly and seasonal shifts in the shipment volume, farm prices, and retail prices of select vegetables. However, the reported market volume and prices reflect the dynamic conditions of weekly marketing and supply chains, which can be influenced by various factors such as pests, weather events, import-export activity, retail promotions, and labor disruptions. Therefore, the data may not always reflect long-term trends.

Resources

These data products are sourced from various entities including the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, and the United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, FAOStat.

Price Indices Data
The price indices data currently available in the Vegetables and Pulses Data are sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This includes national-level Producer Price Indexes (commodity data), Consumer Price Indexes (all urban consumers), and retail average prices for selected vegetables. Additional information on data coverage and methodologies is available from BLS at: Producer Price Indexes and Consumer Price Indexes (includes retail prices): Overview and Frequently Asked Questions.

Import and Export Data
The trade tables in the Vegetables and Pulses Data are based on information from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade Division. The import series used is imports for consumption, which excludes items imported into free trade zones or bonded warehouses until they are released for use. The export series used excludes items bound for re-export. The data utilizes a complex set of product categories based on the International Harmonized Commodity Coding and Classification System, or simply Harmonized System (HS). The United States adopted a 10-digit code system and began using it for U.S. trade on January 1, 1989.

Export codes, known as Schedule B in the United States, are administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Import codes, known as the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), are administered by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).

For more information on U.S. trade data, see:

Below are links to other related source data, resources that provide additional information or context for the data products:

  • Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System – Includes three distinct but related data series on food and nutrients available for consumption in the United States.
  • Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) – USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's database of trade statistics for agricultural, fish, forest, and textile products from 1989 (or earlier for some products) to the present.
  • Vegetable Prices – Using 2008 Nielsen Homescan data, ERS estimates average retail prices for 153 commonly consumed fresh and processed fruits and vegetables.
  • U.S. and State Farm Income and Wealth Statistics – Includes U.S. and State-level data on annual and monthly cash receipts for vegetables and melons.
  • Specialty Crops Market News – USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's portal for market news reports for specialty crops.
  • Quick Stats – USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service's database of U.S., State, and county-level agricultural statistics.

Recommended Citation

For each data product, the recommended citation is as follows:

  • USDA, Economic Research Service. (YYYY). Vegetables and pulses yearbook tables. [Data set].
  • USDA, Economic Research Service. (YYYY). Commodity highlights visualization. [Data set].
  • USDA, Economic Research Service. (YYYY). Vegetables and pulses data. [Data set].
  • USDA, Economic Research Service. (YYYY). Selected weekly fresh-market vegetable movement and price. [Data set].