Overview
Farmers combine land, water, commercial inputs, labor,
and their management skills into practices and systems
to produce food and fiber. To sustain production over
time, farmers must make a profit and preserve their resource
and financial assets. Society wants food and fiber products
that are low-cost, safe to consume, and aesthetically
pleasing, and wants production systems that preserve or
enhance the environment. These often competing goals and
pressures are reflected not only in the inputs made available
for production, but also in how the inputs are selected,
combined, and managed at the farm level.
Increasingly, farmers are facing pressures to change
from conventional production practices to more environmentally
friendly practices that encompass critical aspects of
crop production, including pest management, nutrient management,
soil management, and sustainable production systems. ERS
research examines the critical role of economic and environmental
factors in the adoption of management practices and technologies,
including the use of conservation tillage, integrated
pest management, precision farming, nutrient testing,
organic farming, and biotechnology.
Features
The
Value of Plant Disease Early Warning Systems: A Case
Study of USDA's Soybean Rust Coordinated Framework examines USDA's system to provide real-time, county-level
forecasts of soybean rust in the United States. The study
estimates that the information provided by federal, state,
industry and academic partners increased U.S. soybean
producers' profits by between $11 million and $299 million
in 2005, or between 16 cents and $4.12 per acre depending
on assumptions, especially those particularly concerning
the accuracy of rust infection forecasts.
The First Decade of Genetically Engineered
Crops in the United StatesOver the past ten years, farmers
have adopted genetically engineered (GE) varieties
of corn, soybeans, and cotton
widely and at rapid rate
and benefited from such adoption. While the level of
consumer concerns about foods that contain GE ingredients
varies by country, with European
consumers being most concerned, these concerns have
not had a large impact on the market for these foods
in the United States.
Economic and Policy
Implications of Wind-Borne Entry of Asian Soybean Rust into the
United StatesAmerican soybean producers and
the research, regulatory, and extension institutions
supporting
them are
preparing for the potential wind-borne entry of Asian
soybean rust into
the United States. This report examines how the economic
impacts of
soybean rust establishment will depend on the timing,
location, spread, and severity of rust infestation and
on how soybean
and other crop producers, livestock producers, and consumers
of agricultural
commodities respond to this new pathogen. (April 2004)
U.S.
Agriculture
Depends Increasingly on Imported FertilizerU.S. farmers
use about 21 million tons of the nutrients nitrogen, phosphate,
and potash each year in the form of chemical fertilizers, helping
to sustain high U.S. crop yields. But the sources of these nutrients
have changed markedly in recent years from domestic to foreign suppliers,
making the U.S. increasingly dependent on fertilizer imports. Increasingly
depending on the import would result in changing of the current
fertilizer distribution and storage system, which was constructed
around the U.S. supply base, to supply fertilizers to meet farmer
demand. (01/04)
Managing
Manure:New Clean Water Act Regulations Create Imperative
for Livestock ProducersNew Clean Water Act Regulations
Create Imperative for Livestock Producers-Nutrients from
livestock and poultry manure are key sources of water
pollution. Ever-growing numbers of livestock and poultry
per farm and per acre have increased the risk of water
pollution, with manure being disposed of in ways not adequately
addressed in the original 1972 regulations. The Administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA signed new
regulations on December 15, 2002 that would compel operations
with the largest number of animals to manage their manure
according to a nutrient management plan. Amber Waves (2/03).
ARMS
Data Highlight Trends in Cropping PracticesSince 1996,
U.S. farmers have responded to a number of industry-altering changes,
including lower crop prices, the availability of genetically engineered
seed, and environmental incentives embodied in farm legislation.
How have these shocks affected farming and conservation practices
used by farmers? Amber Waves (02/03).
Recommended Readings
Adoption of Biogenetically Engineered CropsThis
report uses USDA survey data to examine the extent to which US farmers
have adopted bio engineered crops, factors affecting adoption of
these crops, and the impacts of bio engineered crops on input use
and farm-level net returns.
Pest Management in U.S. AgricultureDescribes
the use of pest management practices, including integrated pest
management (IPM), for major field crops and selected fruits and
vegetables.
See all recommended readings...
Recommended Data Products
Adoption of Genetically Engineered
Crops in the U.S.This data product summarizes the extent of adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant genetically engineered crops in the United States. Data cover GE varieties of corn, cotton, and soybeans over the 2000-2007 period, by State.
Crop Production
Practices—This web-based delivery tool allows
the user to create customized data summaries based on
information collected through a series of field-level
commodity surveys. Also known as Phase II of the Agricultural
Resource Management Survey (ARMS), this series is USDA's
primary source of information about the current status
and trends in crop production practices for several large-acreage
crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton). This survey
also obtains data on U.S. farmers' agricultural resource
use, as well as data to assess potential environmental
impacts associated with crop production practices. The
ARMS survey yields annual data summaries for field-level
data by crop, including: chemicals and seeds, equipment,
previous crops, highly erodible land, irrigation, and
pest, nutrient and crop residue management practices.
Customized data summaries can be generated for production
years beginning in 1996.
Organic ProductionNewly revised,
this product provides 39 tables showing the change in U.S. organic
acreage and livestock numbers from 1992 to 2001. Data for 1997,
2000, and 2001 are presented by State and commodity. Data for 2000
and 2001 for the first time include the number of certified operations,
by State.
Other data that highlight important information
associated with ERS research on agricultural chemicals and production
technology.
Related Briefing Rooms
Agricultural Biotechnology
Agricultural Research and Productivity
Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS)
Conservation Policy
Environmental
Interactions with Agricultural Production
Organic Agriculture
Related Links
Environmental Protection
AgencyInformation on pesticides.
USDA's Agricultural Research
ServicePrograms related to soil, water, and the environment
Glossary
Crop residue management and tillage definitions.
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