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2014 Farm Bill
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Act), was signed on February 7, 2014. This section presents highlights and some economic implications of the programs and provisions.
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2018 Farm Bill
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Act), was signed on December 20, 2018, and will remain in force through 2023, although some provisions extend beyond 2023. This section provides highlights and summaries of important programs and provisions, as well as some economic implications of the legislation.
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2025 Farm Bill
ERS research and analysis related to the 2025 Farm Bill.
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Africa
ERS conducts research and analysis on Africa's food and agricultural sector and its implications for U.S. and world commodity markets and food security.
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Agricultural Baseline
USDA Agricultural Projections report provides long-run projections for the farm sector for the next 10 years. These annual projections cover agricultural commodities, agricultural trade, and aggregate indicators of the sector, such as farm income.
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Agricultural Research and Productivity
Advances in agricultural productivity have led to abundant and affordable food and fiber throughout most of the developed world. Public and private agricultural research has been the foundation and basis for much of this growth and development. ERS data, research, and analyses quantify agricultural productivity improvements and the sources of improvement, in the U.S. and globally. A major focus is on developing indices of productivity growth that accurately reflect changes in the quality and mix of both inputs and outputs in the agricultural production process.
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Animal Policy & Regulatory Issues
Farmers’ sales of livestock, dairy, and poultry account for over half of U.S. agricultural cash receipts. In 2022, cash receipts from animal products were $259 billion. This topic page covers issues that are relevant to different livestock commodities, such as price reporting or animal health and welfare.
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Aquaculture
Aquaculture is the production of aquatic animals and plants under controlled conditions for all or parts of their lifecycles. According to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 2018 Census of Aquaculture, the total sales of U.S. aquaculture products was about $1.5 billion.
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Bioenergy
Bioenergy is renewable energy derived from biological sources, to be used for heat, electricity, or vehicle fuel. Biofuel derived from plant materials is among the most rapidly growing renewable energy technologies.
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Biotechnology
Genetically engineered (GE) seed varieties were commercially introduced in the United States in 1996. Adoption rates for these crops increased rapidly in the years that followed. Currently, more than 90 percent of U.S. corn, upland cotton, soybeans, canola, and sugarbeets are produced using GE varieties. USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) conducts research on agricultural biotechnology issues, which are covered in this topic.
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Brazil
ERS conducts research and analysis on Brazil's food and agricultural sector and on its policies that influence U.S. and world commodity markets.
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Business & Industry
While agriculture, forestry, and mining remain important sectors in some rural areas, service and retail industries have accounted for most job growth in rural America over the past few decades. ERS research on rural business and industry focuses on industrial trends that shape the job opportunities available to the rural labor force.
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Cattle & Beef
The United States has the largest fed-cattle industry in the world, and is the world's largest producer of beef, primarily high-quality, grain-fed beef for domestic and export use.
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Child Nutrition Programs
USDA, ERS conducts research on USDA's child nutrition programs and their role in children's food security, diets, and well-being. ERS studies the following child nutrition programs: the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and After-School Snacks and Meals. Updated charts and data are based on data through fiscal year 2023 (data are as of December 2023) made available by USDA, Food and Nutrition Service.
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China
ERS provides research, analysis, and information on China's agricultural policy, outlook, and trade, including reports on specific commodities, food safety issues, rising consumer demand, and production challenges.
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Climate Change
ERS conducts research on a range of climate change issues related to agriculture.
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Commodity Outlook
ERS, working closely with the World Agricultural Outlook Board, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and other USDA agencies, conducts market analysis and provides short- and long-term projections of U.S. and world agricultural production, consumption, and trade.
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Conservation Programs
USDA's conservation programs are designed to help agricultural producers improve soil health, water quality, air quality, wildlife habitat, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These programs include financial and/or technical assistance to farmers who adopt, install, or maintain conservation practices on land in production—as well as programs that provide easements or contracts to remove land from agricultural production.
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Consumer and Producer Price Indexes
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food measures changes in the retail prices of food items and is the principal indicator of changes in retail food prices. The Producer Price Index (PPI) for food measures changes in prices paid to domestic producers for their output. ERS regularly updates food price forecasts for up to 18 months in the future.
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Consumer Food Data System (CFDS)
ERS established the Consumer Food Data System (CFDS) to support the USDA’s strategic goal of providing all U.S. consumers with access to a safe, nutritious, and secure food supply. CFDS resources enable intramural and extramural researchers to examine issues and questions related to food markets, food and nutrition programs, food security, food safety, and consumer food and nutrition choices and their health outcomes.
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Consumer Information and Labeling
ERS examines the effects of nutrition information provision and education programs on food choices and dietary outcomes; consumers' use of food labels and impacts on food choices and dietary outcomes; and the effects of new label information on the supply of labeled foods, retail prices, and manufacturing and farm production practices.
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Consumers
ERS researchers study how consumers react to food safety incidents, both domestically and globally, such as outbreaks and recalls. Additionally, ERS is a national leader in providing the costs of illness for select foodborne pathogens.
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Corn and Other Feed Grains
Corn is the most widely produced feed grain in the United States, with most of the crop providing the main energy ingredient in livestock feed.
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Cotton and Wool
ERS analyzes events in the U.S. and international cotton and textile markets that influence supply, demand, prices, and trade.
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Countries & Regions
The work of ERS includes in-depth analyses of the economies, agricultural sectors, and policies of key trading partners: Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea.
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Crop & Livestock Practices
ERS analyzes trends in the adoption of a range of crop and livestock production practices and their effectiveness in reducing costs, increasing farming profitability, minimizing losses to the environment, and conserving natural resources.
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Dairy
Milk is produced in all 50 States, with the major producing States in the West and North. Dairy farms, overwhelmingly family-owned and managed, are generally members of producer cooperatives.
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Diet Quality & Nutrition
ERS examines factors driving dietary choices and the economic consequences of nutritional and health outcomes.
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Employment & Education
ERS research in this area focuses on labor market conditions and educational attainment in the rural (nonmetropolitan) United States. The labor market measures discussed here include the level of employment, the unemployment rate, and the labor force participation rate. Educational attainment is closely linked to labor market outcomes. While rural areas are closing the gap with urban areas in high school completion, there is a large and growing gap in college and postgraduate educational attainment, even among young adults.
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European Union
The European Union (EU), a customs union of 27 member nations, is the world's largest agricultural importer and a major trading partner and competitor of the United States
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Farm & Commodity Policy
Farm and commodity policy has continually evolved, encompassing changing market conditions, priorities, and issues such as environmental and conservations issues and food safety.
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Farm Household Well-being
Farm households typically receive income from both farm and off-farm sources. The well-being of farm operator households often relies more on their nonfarm activities and investments than on their farm businesses. Research and data provide information on the sources of farm household income and wealth, the farm-nonfarm allocation of work and investments by farm household members, and other indicators of well-being, such as health insurance coverage.
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Farm Labor
The Farm Labor topic page presents data and analysis on the size and composition of the U.S. agricultural workforce; recent trends in the employment of hired farmworkers; farmworkers' demographic characteristics, legal status, and migration practices; trends in wages and labor cost shares; and trends in H-2A program utilization.
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Farm Sector Income & Finances
This topic page provides a comprehensive overview of the financial characteristics and performance of the U.S. farm sector and farm businesses, including current estimates and forecasts of farm income, expenses, asset values, and debt.
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Farm Structure and Organization
The Economic Research Service (ERS) research program on farm structure examines developments in the farm sector as a whole and for individual commodities, assesses their causes, and evaluates their impacts on productivity, financial performance, prices, and environmental outcomes. ERS research provides detailed empirical analyses of specific issues related to the economics of farm structure and organization, including the use of contracts.
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Federal Tax Issues
Federal tax policy plays an important role in the well-being of farm households and the viability of farm operations. These taxes can affect the financial well-being of farm households, with impacts varying by farm household characteristics.
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Fertilizers & Pesticides
ERS evaluates the influence of rising energy costs and crop prices on fertilizer prices, nutrient supply, and consumption. ERS research also examines factors influencing volatile fertilizer markets and farmers' strategies to manage nutrient use under price uncertainty. ERS evaluates factors driving trends in the use and composition of pesticides in the United States. Changing relative prices of inputs, trends in the extent and location of crop production, use of biotechnology, adoption of organic systems, pest invasions, and climate change all contribute to changes in pesticide use.
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Food Access
ERS conducts research on access and barriers to affordable, healthy food, and the consequences of limited food access on food spending, diet, and health.
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Food Assistance Data & Collaborative Research Programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers food and nutrition assistance programs that affect the lives of millions of people and account for roughly two-thirds of USDA’s annual budget. ERS is the primary source for economic studies and evaluations of domestic food and nutrition assistance programs to meet the needs of USDA, Congress, program managers, program participants, the research community, and the public at large.
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Food Consumption & Demand
ERS provides economic analyses of trends, dietary patterns, and the relationship between food intake and nutritional/health outcomes such as obesity.
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Food Prices, Expenditures, and Establishments
ERS develops and monitors indicators of individual, household, and market-level food consumption, prices, expenditures, food marketing costs, and farm-to-retail price spreads. ERS has acquired proprietary data for use in food economics research.
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Food Security in the U.S.
Food security—access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life—is one requirement for a healthy, well-nourished population. ERS plays a leading role in Federal research on food security in U.S. households and communities.
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Food Service Industry
ERS research examines the size of the national foodservice market, major market segments, as well as the foodservice market at the State level.
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Fruit and Tree Nuts
Provides current intelligence and forecasts the effects of changing conditions in the U.S. fruit and tree nuts sector. Topics include production, consumption, shipments, trade, prices received, and more.
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Hogs & Pork
A striking feature of the U.S. hog industry has been the rapid shift to fewer and larger operations, associated with technological change and evolving industry structure.
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India
ERS research focuses on the trade implications of changes in consumer demand, market structure, domestic and trade policy that are likely to occur as the Indian economy continues its rapid expansion.
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International Consumer and Food Industry Trends
Trends in food demand have increased trade in high-value foods and reshaped food marketing globally.
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International Food Security
ERS provides research, analysis, and information on food security, including factors affecting food production and ability to import food, in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Commonwealth of Independent States to decision makers in the United States and throughout the world.
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Irrigation & Water Use
Agriculture is a major user of ground and surface water in the United States, and irrigation has enhanced both the productivity and profitability of the agricultural sector. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, farms with some form of irrigation accounted for more than 54 percent of the total value of U.S. crop sales, while irrigated land accounted for less than 20 percent of harvested cropland.
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Japan & South Korea
ERS analyzes key aspects of Japan’s economy and agricultural sector, and monitors policies and events that affect its role in global trade.
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Land Use, Land Value & Tenure
As part of its research program on the economics of land resources, ERS compiles data and conducts statistical analysis on a variety of topics concerning agricultural land use, land values, and land ownership and tenure.
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Local Foods
ERS research on local food systems explores alternative definitions of local food, estimates market size and scope, describes the characteristics of local food consumers and producers, and examines economic and health impacts of local food systems.
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Macroeconomics & Agriculture
ERS work covers research and analysis on the effects of macroeconomic conditions on U.S. and international agriculture, including impacts of the recent economic crisis and the factors in commodity price increases.
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Markets, Regulation, and Policy
USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) examines how private markets and government regulation have combined to maintain meat, poultry, and produce food safety. This research covers regulations that establish a minimum level of food safety quality. USDA, ERS research includes estimates of the costs of regulation and assessments of private market mechanisms and innovations affecting food safety in produce, meat, and poultry food safety.
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Natural Amenities
ERS researchers developed a natural amenities scale based on the premise that people are drawn to areas with varied topography; lakes, ponds, or oceanfront; warm, sunny winters; and temperate, low-humidity summers.
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Obesity
ERS examines the role of economic incentives in food choices, how dietary patterns contribute to obesity, and what effects obesity policies could have on producer and consumer incentives and health outcomes.
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Organic Agriculture
Consumer demand for organically produced goods has shown strong growth since the 1990s, providing market incentives for U.S. farmers across a broad range of products. ERS conducts research on a range of organic agricultural issues, including production, retail sales, market outlook, and trade.
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Population & Migration
Nonmetro areas in some parts of the country have experienced population loss for decades. Opportunities for population growth and economic expansion, however, vary widely from one nonmetro county to the next, and new regional patterns of growth and decline have emerged in recent years.
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Poultry & Eggs
The U.S. poultry industry is the world's largest producer and second-largest exporter of poultry meat and is a major egg producer.
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Poverty & Income Volatility
ERS examines the economic well-being of low-income participants and households in the various food and nutrition assistance programs.
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Processing & Marketing
ERS monitors key developments and trends across the U.S. food marketing system.
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Retailing & Wholesaling
ERS research on trends and developments in wholesale sales and in traditional and nontraditional retail food stores.
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Rice
Four U.S. regions produce almost all of the country's rice crop - three in the South and one in California - each specializing in a specific type of rice.
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Risk Management
Uncertainty in prices, yields, government policies, and foreign markets means that risk management plays an important role in many farm business decisions.
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Rural Classifications
USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) researchers and others who analyze conditions in "rural" America most often study conditions in nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) areas, defined on the basis of counties. In addition to conducting research that uses the basic metro-nonmetro dichotomy, ERS has developed multi-level county classifications to measure rurality in more detail and to assess the economic and social diversity of nonmetro America. For some research and program applications, counties are too large to accurately distinguish rural and urban settlement patterns. Building on the urban-rural definition, ERS has also developed sub-county classifications that more accurately delineate different levels of rurality and address program eligibility concerns.
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Rural Poverty & Well-Being
ERS research in this topic area focuses on the economic, social, spatial, temporal, and demographic factors that affect the poverty status of rural residents.
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Sheep, Lamb & Mutton
The U.S. sheep and wool industries have seen significant change since the mid-1970s, marked by smaller inventories, declining production, shrinking revenues, and fewer operations.
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Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning, Limited Resource, and Female Farmers and Ranchers
Since the 1990s, beginning, socially disadvantaged, and limited resource farmers and ranchers in the United States have been eligible to receive benefits from a variety of Farm Act programs. ERS research examines the characteristics of these targeted farm operators, the farms they operate, and their households; their participation in agricultural commodity, conservation, or loan programs; and related topics, such as the number and characteristics of female farm operators.
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Soybeans and Oil Crops
Processed soybeans are the world’s largest source of animal protein feed and the second largest source of vegetable oil.
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Sugar and Sweeteners
The United States is one of the world’s largest consumer of sweeteners, including high fructose corn syrup.
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the Nation’s largest domestic food and nutrition assistance program for low-income households and is administered by USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). This page provides an overview of program background and eligibility requirements; recent policy developments; and the scope of USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) research on how SNAP meets its objectives, including income support and diet quality of its participants.
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Trade Policy & World Trade Organization (WTO)
ERS analyzes policies and regulations of major trading partners such as China, Japan, Mexico, and the European Union.
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U.S. Agricultural Trade
U.S. and global trade are greatly affected by the growth and stability of world markets, including changes in world population, economic growth, and income. Other factors affecting agricultural trade are global supplies and prices, changes in exchange rates, government support for agriculture, and trade protection policies
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USMCA, Canada, & Mexico
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a comprehensive trade liberalizing agreement among Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
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Vegetables and Pulses
Provides economic analyses and data on vegetables and pulses for the fresh market and for processing use. Topics include production, consumption, value, prices, trade, and more.
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Wheat
The United States is a major wheat-producing country, and wheat ranks third among U.S. field crops in both planted acreage and gross farm receipts.
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WIC Program
ERS conducts studies of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) which serves to safeguard the health of low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children younger than 5 years who are at nutritional risk. The WIC program served about 6.6 million participants each month in fiscal year 2023, including an estimated 39 percent of all infants born in the United States.