Overview
USDA has estimated annual production costs and returns
and published accounts for major field crop and livestock
enterprises since 1975. Cost and return estimates are
reported for the United States and major production
regions
for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice,
peanuts, oats, barley, sugar beets, milk, hogs,
and cow-calf. These cost and return accounts are "historical"
accounts based on the actual costs incurred by producers.
The costs
and returns estimation program uses surveys conducted
about every 4-8 years for each commodity as part of
the annual
Agricultural Resource
Management Survey (ARMS), and methods that conform
to standards recommended by the American
Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA).
Features
Soybean Production Costs
and Returns from the 2006 ARMS —The
2006 ARMS collected detailed information about the production
practices and costs of soybean growers in 19 States,
which represent more than 97 percent of U.S. planted
soybean acreage. As part of the survey, a subsample
of organic soybean producers was developed from lists
provided by major organic certifiers. A set of
estimates is now available from the survey that presents
soybean production costs and returns for 2006 by region
and size of operation for all
soybean producers and
for
conventional and organic producers.
Estimates are reported for regions and size groups deemed
to have a sufficient sample for statistical reliability.
The regional estimates for all producers are used
as the basis for the annual series of soybean costs of
production. For more information about these soybean cost
and return estimates, see The
Profitability of Organic Soybean Production.
 Milk
Production Costs and Returns from the 2005 ARMS—The
2005 ARMS collected detailed information about the production
practices and costs on dairy farms in 24 States, which
represent more than 90 percent of national milk production. As
part of the survey, a subsample of organic dairy operations
was developed from lists provided by major organic milk
processors and certifiers. A set of estimates is
now available from the survey that presents milk costs
and returns for 2005 by State and size of operation for all
milk producers and
for conventional and
organic dairies.
Estimates are reported for States and size groups deemed
to have a sufficient sample for statistical reliability.
The State estimates form the basis for the
continuing series of monthly milk costs of production.
For more information about milk cost and return estimates,
see A
Comparison of Conventional and Organic Milk Production
Systems in the U.S.
Monthly
Milk Cost of Production Estimates—Congress
included language in USDA's FY 2003 appropriation
that strongly
urged USDA to make available monthly milk costs of production
(COP) in various areas of the United States. To comply
with this request, ERS reports monthly milk
COP by State, where sufficient data support a State estimate.
Estimates are available starting from January 2003.
Cost-of-Production
Forecasts—In addition to the time series
of historical cost and return accounts, cost-of-production
forecasts for major field crops are available.
The forecasts are developed as a part of the USDA
Baseline projections to help develop projected net
returns for major field crops. These long-term baseline
projections provide a starting point for discussion
of alternative outcomes for the agricultural sector
under expected or proposed future policies. Cost-of-production
is only forecast at the national level and would differ
considerably among regions, individual farmers, and
by size of operation.
Characteristics and Production
Costs—This series
of reports presents information on how production
costs vary among producers of different commodities and
the possible reasons for this variation. Reports also
include details on production practices and input use
levels (the "technology set"), as well
as farm operator and structural characteristics.
Data Directories
The files for each commodity are divided into four
categories:
- U.S. and regional estimates for the most recent
2 years.
- A time-series of U.S. and regional estimates made
using the format and methods endorsed by the AAEA task
force on commodity costs and returns and ERS farm resource
regions.
- A time-series of U.S and regional estimates from
1975 using the previous format and methods and regional
definitions.
- A time-series of U.S. and regional estimates for
major field crops that include the effects of government
program
participation (various years 1988-95).
Also included is:
- Monthly milk costs of production estimated since
January 2003 in surveyed States.
See all the data files...
Format
Data files for each commodity are in a downloadable MS
Excel format.
Size
All data files are less than 100 kb and many are less
than 50 kb.
Release Date
Annual estimates on or around October 1.
Monthly milk estimates on or around mid-month.
Instructions/Helpful Hints
Each file may be downloaded to the client's personal
computer, opened in most types of spreadsheet software,
and processed using the full range of spreadsheet functions.
Files include multiple spreadsheets in cases where estimates
are available for more than one area within a region
and for time periods where the account format, regional
definitions, and/or survey base year have changed. Users
can choose among multiple spreadsheets in a file by selecting
the
tabs
displayed
at the bottom of the spreadsheets.
Glossary
Check the Glossary
for explanations of the economic concepts used throughout
commodity costs and returns.
Contacts
William McBride
(team leader, hogs, milk, cow-calf)
Mir Ali (wheat,
barley, sugar beets)
Linda Foreman
(corn, cotton, grain sorghum)
Janet Livezey
(soybeans, rice, oats, peanuts)
Roger Hoskin (monthly
milk costs of production)
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