ERS Calendar of Releases

U.S. farmers and ranchers produce a wide variety of commodities for food, fuel, and fiber in response to market signals. Farms also contain significant amounts of natural resources that can provide a host of environmental services, including cleaner air and water, flood control, and improved wildlife habitat. Environmental services are often valued by society, but because they are a public good—that is, people can obtain them without paying for them—farmers and ranchers may not benefit financially from producing them. As a result, farmers and ranchers underprovide these services. This report explores the use of market mechanisms, such as emissions trading and eco-labels, to increase private investment in environmental stewardship. Such investments could complement or even replace public investments in traditional conservation programs. The report also defines roles for government in the creation and function of markets for environmental services.

Income disparity within and among developing countries explains how there can be obesity in the midst of under-nutrition. Rising incomes, urbanization, global integration, and more supermarkets have contributed to increased consumption of convenient, high-calorie foods among the higher income population. Obesity-related diseases have become more widespread in developing countries.

Farmers and other landowners typically under-provide environmental services such as clean air and water, carbon sequestration, and improved wildlife habitat. Markets for environmental services could increase farmer investments in environmental stewardship, thereby expanding the supply of environmental services. Impediments to the formation of fully functioning markets for agricultural environmental services may be difficult or costly to overcome.

Amber Waves presents the broad scope of ERS’s research and analysis. The magazine covers the economics of agriculture, food and nutrition, the food industry, trade, rural America, and farm-related environmental topics. Available on the internet and in print, Amber Waves is issued in print five times a year (February, April, June, September and November). The internet edition, or “eZine,” includes links to web –only resources, such as podcasts and additional articles.

Increasing agricultural imports benefits U.S. consumers, but shipments can transport harmful foreign pests and diseases. The United States and other nations use a number of approaches to reduce risks to agriculture and the environment from pests and diseases entering through trade. Economic analysis can help identify measures that mitigate risks of economic or environmental damage with minimal impact on trade benefits.

Recent reports of high rates of obesity and overweight among children have focused attention on the nutritional quality of school lunches. But this attention has raised another fundamental question: can schools meet the program’s nutrition goals while covering costs, especially in times of rising food prices? The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides federally-subsidized meals to more than 30 million children each school day. School foodservice managers say that to appeal to students and raise revenues, they need to offer less nutritious a la carte foods and vending snacks.

Animal and poultry disease outbreaks often lead to new or amended policies and regulations. The economic effects induced by these policies can be much greater and much longer lasting than the immediate effect of the disease outbreak alone. Using Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) as an example, this paper demonstrates the pervasiveness of the effects of restrictive feed policies and regulations, particularly as they relate to meat and bone meal and other protein feeds. Costs evaluated include those assumed by consumers via changes in supplies of secondary and final products; environmental costs associated with disposal of hazardous materials; lost value of products to the rendering industry, including a decline in value of meat and bone meal; and supply disruptions and substitutions within the feed market sector increase the total costs of disease mitigation regulations. Benefits from new or amended policies accrue but are not easily measured.

This report examines U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data on refusals of food offered for importation into the United States from 1998 to 2004. Although the data do not necessarily reflect the distribution of risk in foods, the study found that import refusals highlight food safety problems that appear to recur in trade and where the FDA has focused its import alerts, examinations (e.g., sampling), and other monitoring efforts. The data show some food industries and types of violations may be consistent sources of problems both over time and in comparison with previous studies of more limited data. The three food industry groups with the most violations were vegetables (20.6 percent of total violations), fishery and seafood (20.1 percent), and fruits (11.7 percent). Violations observed over the entire time period include sanitary issues in seafood and fruit products, pesticides in vegetables, and unregistered processes for canned food products in all three industries.

Vegetable and melon production requires a substantial investment in production inputs. Using data from USDA’s Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), this article presents and explores the major expense components of specialized U.S. and regional vegetable and melon farms during 1998-2006. Total cash expenses per acre for specialized U.S. vegetable and melon farms increased 32 percent between 1998-2000 and 2004-06 and were highest in the West and lowest in the Midwest. Labor accounted for 30 percent of U.S. cash expenses, followed by fertilizer and agricultural chemicals at 18 percent.

Statistical Indicators previously published in Agricultural Outlook addressing a broad spectrum of agriculture-related issues. Includes commodity and food prices, general economic indicators, government program expenditures, farm income estimates, and trade and export statistics.

The latest U.S. agricultural trade data are now available from ERS. This new data product announces USDA's monthly release of calendar year, fiscal year, year-to-date, and monthly value of U.S. agricultural exports, imports, and trade balance.

Issued monthly, WASDE provides the most current USDA forecasts of U.S. and world supply-use balances for major grains, soybeans and products, and cotton, and U.S. supply and use data for sugar and livestock products.

Released at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The Livestock and Meat Trade Data Set contains monthly and annual data for imports and exports of live cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats, as well as beef and veal, pork, lamb and mutton, chicken meat, turkey meat, and eggs. The tables report physical quantities, not dollar values or unit prices. Data on beef and veal, pork, and lamb and mutton are on a carcass-weight-equivalent basis. Breakdowns by country are included.

Released by 10 a.m. ET.

A futures-price forecasting model is used to provide season-average price forecasts for corn, soybeans, and wheat. In addition to the monthly forecasts for prices received, the model computes a forecast for the counter-cyclical payment rate for each commodity. The 2002 Farm Act provides for counter-cyclical payments when prices are below specified levels.

Provides a monthly update of year-to-date quantities and values of U.S. agricultural exports and imports. Also provides data on leading destination countries for exports and import source countries.

Examines supply, use, prices, and trade for oil crops (primarily soybeans and products), including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Includes information on cottonseed, peanuts, sunflowerseed, tropical oils, corn oil, and animal fats.

Timely version released by 4 p.m. ET. Final full pdf available no later than 4 business days after the day of initial release. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter availability. Users who subscribe to this newsletter will also receive articles on timely topics via e-mail notification.

Examines supply, use, prices, and trade for rice, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Contains information on U.S. rough, milled, and long-, medium-, and short-grain rice.

Timely version released by 4 p.m. ET. Final full pdf available no later than 4 business days after the day of initial release. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter availability. Users who subscribe to this newsletter will also receive articles on timely topics via e-mail notification.

Examines supply, use, prices, and trade for cotton and wool, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Includes data on raw fibers and textiles.

Released by 4 p.m. ET. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter availability. Users who subscribe to this newsletter will also receive articles on timely topics via e-mail notification.

Examines supply, use, prices, and trade for feed grains, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Focuses on corn; also contains information on sorghum, barley, oats, and hay.

Released by 9 a.m. ET. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter availability. Users who subscribe to this newsletter will also receive articles on timely topics via e-mail notification.

Examines supply, use, prices, and trade for wheat, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Contains data and information on U.S. wheat by class.

Timely version released by 9 a.m. ET. Final full pdf available no later than 4 business days after the day of initial release. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter availability. Users who subscribe to this newsletter will also receive articles on timely topics via e-mail notification.

This data set provides monthly average price values, and the differences among those values, at the farm, wholesale, and retail stages of the production and marketing chain for selected cuts of beef, pork, and broilers. In addition, retail prices are provided for beef and pork cuts, turkey, whole chickens, eggs, and dairy products.

Released by 10 a.m. ET.

A Workshop on Emerging Issues in Global Meat Trade will be held at ERS on September 18-19, 2008. Cosponsored by the Farm Foundation, the workshop will highlight pertinent issues in the U.S. livestock and meat sectors, focusing specifically on international trade implications. Specific topics include the potential market and trade impacts of cloning, the influence of animal diseases and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) restrictions on trade flows, global meat supply and demand issues, feed grain suppliers in the global meat complex, and country-of-origin labeling (COOL). The workshop is free and open to all, but space is limited.

A Workshop on Emerging Issues in Global Meat Trade will be held at ERS on September 18-19, 2008. Cosponsored by the Farm Foundation, the workshop will highlight pertinent issues in the U.S. livestock and meat sectors, focusing specifically on international trade implications. Specific topics include the potential market and trade impacts of cloning, the influence of animal diseases and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) restrictions on trade flows, global meat supply and demand issues, feed grain suppliers in the global meat complex, and country-of-origin labeling (COOL). The workshop is free and open to all, but space is limited.

Timely livestock, dairy, and poultry information, focusing on current and forecast production, price, and trade statistics for each of the sectors.

Released by 9:00 a.m. ET. Supporting tables available later in the month after release of key livestock and animal product data. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter availability. Users who subscribe to this newsletter will also receive articles on timely topics via e-mail notification. Printed copies can be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) by calling 1-800-999-6779 (specify SUB-LDPM-4042).

This data product contains statistics on wheat - including the five classes of wheat: hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, white, and durum - and rye. Includes data published in the monthly Wheat Outlook and previously annual Wheat Yearbook. Data are monthly, quarterly, and/or annual depending upon the data series.

Interactive database that contains statistics on four feed grains (corn, grain sorghum, barley, and oats), foreign coarse grains (feed grains plus rye, millet, and mixed grains), hay, and related items. Tables previously published annually in the Feed Yearbook are available and updated continuously as data are added to the database. Custom queries also allow users to retrieve historical data.

Monthly milk cost of production estimates are available by State from January 2003 to the previous month.

Released by 4:00 p.m. ET.

Lower Production for Most Stone Fruit in 2008

U.S. stone fruit production in 2008 is forecast down from a year ago, particularly for peaches, sweet and tart cherries, and apricots. A mid-April freeze caused widespread damage to stone fruit crops in major producing States. The lower production this year is putting upward pressure on most stone fruit prices.

Released by 4 p.m. ET. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter (and yearbook) availability. Users who subscribe to this newsletter will also receive articles on timely topics via e-mail notification. Printed copies of the newsletter (and yearbook) can be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) by calling 1-800-999-6779 (specify SUB-FTS-4036).

The workshop highlights current research on the value of information technology (IT) for the economy and the economic players therein with specific focus on the agriculture, food, and rural sectors.

The workshop highlights current research on the value of information technology (IT) for the economy and the economic players therein with specific focus on the agriculture, food, and rural sectors.

Examines world and U.S. production, consumption, trade, stocks, and prices for beet and cane sugar, and high fructose corn syrup.

Released by 4 p.m. ET. Subscribe to the free electronic version to receive timely notification of newsletter availability. Printed copies of the newsletter can be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) by calling 1-800-999-6779 (specify SUB-SSS-4033).