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TOP Up Front
 Research Informs Policy Decisions  May-07
Author(s): Buchanan, Gale

 A Closer Look at Agriculture and the Environment  Jul-06
Author(s): Wiebe, Keith

 U.S. Farm Sector Weathering Higher Energy Costs  Nov-05
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Complexity and Collaboration  Sep-05
Author(s): Bohman, Mary

 New "growing" pains?  Jun-05
Author(s): Shoemaker, Robbin

 Who Eats What, When, Where, and Why?  Apr-05
Author(s): Crutchfield, Stephen R.

 Record High Farm Sector Income— What Does it Mean?  Feb-05
Author(s): Shoemaker, Robbin

 Converging Forces: Too Many Tasty Foods, No Time for Exercise  Nov-04
Author(s): Jen, Joseph

 Putting the pieces together  Sep-04
Author(s): Gibson, Paul R.

 Opened ARMS  Jun-04
Author(s): Smith, Katherine

 Greasing the Wheels of the Marketplace  Apr-04
Author(s): Ballenger, Nicole

 An Integrated Global Marketplace  Feb-04
Author(s): Conklin, Neilson C.

 A Different Perspective  Nov-03
Author(s): Wiebe, Keith

 The Knowledge Factor  Sep-03
Author(s): LeBlanc, Michael

 Some things never change  Jun-03
Author(s): Blaylock, James

 Spring …. A Season of Uncertainty  Apr-03
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Sliced Bread Or New Coke?  Feb-03
Author(s): Offutt, Susan

TOP Feature Articles
 Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?  Nov-08
Low-income households that receive maximum food assistance benefits usually can afford a healthy diet; others may have more difficulty.
Author(s): Golan, Elise, Hayden Stewart, Fred Kuchler & Diansheng Dong

 Fluctuating Food Commodity Prices: A Complex Issue With No Easy Answers  Nov-08
Rising food demand, increased energy costs, a weak U.S. dollar, and other factors contributed to the rapid escalation of food commodity prices until July 2008.
Author(s): Trostle, Ronald

 Market Failures: When the Invisible Hand Gets Shaky  Nov-08
Government intervention in agricultural markets may be warranted under circumstances where markets fail to allocate resources efficiently.
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc, Fred Kuchler & Lisa Mancino

 New Market Realities Affect Crop Program Choices  Nov-08
Despite higher commodity prices, producers must still mitigate and manage risks.
Author(s): Dismukes, Robert & Edwin Young

 Balancing Nutrition, Participation, and Cost in the National School Lunch Program  Sep-08
Case studies have found that schools can keep their budgets in the black while serving nutritious lunches.
Author(s): Newman, Constance, Katherine Ralston & Annette Clauson

 Creating Markets for Environmental Stewardship: Potential Benefits and Problems  Sep-08
Creating markets for environmental services could encourage the adoption of farming practices that provide cleaner air and water, and other conservation benefits.
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc

 Obesity in the Midst of Unyielding Food Insecurity in Developing Countries  Sep-08
Despite the persistence of food insecurity, food consumption has been rising in many developing countries, and with it has come higher rates of overweight and obesity.
Author(s): Rosen, Stacey & Shahla Shapouri

 Regulating Agricultural Imports To Keep Out Foreign Pests and Disease  Sep-08
Governments use a range of interventions to combat the entry of foreign pests, and economic analysis can help assess the costs and benefits of potential measures.
Author(s): Livingston, Michael, Craig Osteen & Donna Roberts

 Defining the “Rural” in Rural America  Jun-08
The use of different definitions of rural by Federal agencies reflects the multidimensional qualities of rural America.
Author(s): Cromartie, John & Shawn Bucholtz

 Food Stamps and Obesity: What We Know and What It Means  Jun-08
Food stamp benefits do not increase obesity for most program participants, but there is a potential link for some subgroups.
Author(s): Ver Ploeg, Michele & Katherine Ralston

 Who Will China Feed?  Jun-08
Though China continues to be a major player in global food exports, growing resource constraints and environmental costs could mean an end to “easy” growth for Chinese agriculture.
Author(s): Lohmar, Bryan & Fred Gale

 World Trade Organization and Globalization Help Facilitate Growth in Agricultural Trade  Jun-08
Despite strong criticism of the WTO, its membership continues to grow as countries seek the benefits of expanding trade.
Author(s): Effland, Anne, Mary Anne Normile, Donna Roberts & John Wainio

 Global Market Opportunities Drive Beef Production Decisions in Argentina and Uruguay  Apr-08
Improvements to certification programs and traceability programs have helped expand beef exports from Argentina and Uruguay.
Author(s): McConnell, Michael & Ken Mathews

 Hired Farmworkers a Major Input For Some U.S. Farm Sectors  Apr-08
With more than half of hired farmworkers lacking legal authorization to work in the U.S., legislative reforms of immigration policies could affect some parts of the agricultural sector.
Author(s): Kandel, William

 Technology, Larger Farm Size Increased Productivity on U.S. Hog Farms  Apr-08
Technological innovation and shifts to larger, more specialized hog operations have led to increases in productivity, reduced production costs, and lower hog prices.
Author(s): Key, Nigel & William McBride

 Twenty Years of Competition Reshape the U.S. Food Marketing System  Apr-08
Companies have devised a number of strategies to lower costs and stand out from the competition.
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen & Phil Kaufman

 Converging Patterns in Global Food Consumption and Food Delivery Systems  Feb-08
Globalization and worldwide income growth are increasing similarities across countries in what consumers eat and where they shop and dine.
Author(s): Frazão, Elizabeth, Birgit Meade & Anita Regmi

 Corn Prices Near Record High, But What About Food Costs?  Feb-08
Higher corn prices increase animal feed and ingredient costs for farmers and food manufacturers, but will consumers undergo the same sticker shock at the grocery store?
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Education’s Role in the Metro-Nonmetro Earnings Divide  Feb-08
Nonmetro workers, especially the most highly educated, continue to earn less than similar workers in metro areas, but lower earnings may be offset by lower costs of living and the value of rural amenities.
Author(s): Kusmin, Lorin, Robert Gibbs & Tim Parker

 Rising Food Prices Intensify Food Insecurity in Developing Countries  Feb-08
The combination of rising energy prices, use of feed crops for biofuel, greater world food demand, and stagnant food aid may undermine the food security of low-income countries.
Author(s): Rosen, Stacey & Shahla Shapouri

 Cropland Concentrating Faster Where Payments Are Higher  Nov-07
Research examines whether areas that had received higher program payments per cropland acre experienced faster or slower growth in the concentration of production than areas with lower or zero payments.
Author(s): Key, Nigel & Michael Roberts

 Do Food Labels Make a Difference? Sometimes  Nov-07
The economics behind food labeling provides insight into the dynamics of voluntary and mandatory food labeling and the influence labeling has on consumers’ food choices.
Author(s): Golan, Elise, Fred Kuchler & Barry Krissoff

 Integrating Conservation and Commodity Program Payments: A Look at the Tradeoffs  Nov-07
A single payment program that supports farm businesses while encouraging environmentally sound farming practices could work, but with tradeoffs.
Author(s): Claassen, Roger & Marcel Aillery

 The Future of Biofuels: A Global Perspective  Nov-07
Biofuels will likely be part of a portfolio of solutions to high energy prices, including conservation, more efficient energy use, and use of other alternative fuels.
Author(s): Coyle, William

 Low Costs Drive Production to Large Dairy Farms  Sep-07
Profits and losses lead to fewer small dairy farms and more large operations.
Author(s): MacDonald, James M., William McBride & Erik J. O’Donoghue

 U.S. Consumers Had Short-Term Response to First BSE Announcements  Sep-07
Food safety news following the discovery of infected cattle increased consumers’ awareness of BSE but did not alter their perception of risk.
Author(s): Kuchler, Fred & Abebayehu Tegene

 U.S. Ethanol Expansion Driving Changes Throughout the Agricultural Sector  Sep-07
Explosive growth of ethanol production brings adjustments to U.S. agriculture that reach far beyond the corn sector.
Author(s): Westcott, Paul C.

 U.S. Trade Growth: A New Beginning or a Repeat of the Past?  Sep-07
After years of declining export growth, new forces shaping U.S. agricultural trade point to a resurgence in exports and slowing import growth.
Author(s): Dohlman, Erik & Mark Gehlhar

 Insidious Consumption: Surprising Factors That Influence What We Eat and How Much  Jun-07
Behavioral economics reveals new possibilities for more healthful food choices.
Author(s): Mancino, Lisa

 Outbreak Linked to Spinach Forces Reassessment of Food Safety Practices  Jun-07
Producers and Government agencies seek science-based practices to reduce risk at the minimum cost.
Author(s): Calvin, Linda

 Struggling To Feed the Family: What Does It Mean To Be Food Insecure?  Jun-07
Food insecurity statistics shed light on hardships households face in meeting their food needs.
Author(s): Nord, Mark & Mark Prell

 The Importance of Farm Program Payments to Farm Households  Jun-07
Government payments are a small share of income for most farms.
Author(s): Hoppe, Robert

 Experience Counts: Farm Business Survival in the U.S.  Apr-07
Like nonfarm businesses, farm businesses exit often, but longevity reduces the likelihood.
Author(s): MacDonald, James M., Penelope Korb & Robert Hoppe

 Improving Food Choices—Can Food Stamps Do More?  Apr-07
An expanded focus on nutrition may steer food stamp participants to better diets.
Author(s): Guthrie, Joanne, Elizabeth Frazão, Margaret Andrews & David Smallwood

 Population Dynamics Are Changing the Profile of Rural Areas  Apr-07
An influx of retirees and ethnic populations brings both challenges and benefits to small-town America.
Author(s): Jones, Carol, William Kandel & Tim Parker

 The Creative Class: A Key to Rural Growth  Apr-07
Some rural areas can generate economic growth by attracting people in creative occupations who value natural amenities.
Author(s): McGranahan, David & Tim Wojan

 Farmers Balance Off-Farm Work and Techonology Adoption  Feb-07
Farm households that rely heavily on off-farm income have a tendency to adopt farm technologies that save management time.
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Relaxing Fruit and Vegetable Planting Restrictions  Feb-07
A recent WTO ruling may result in the elimination of planting restrictions on certain crops, a long-time feature of U.S. commodity programs.
Author(s): Young, Edwin, Demcey Johnson & Barry Krissoff

 Weaker Dollar Strengthens U.S. Agriculture  Feb-07
The depreciation of the dollar has helped lift U.S. agricultural exports to record-high levels, despite the gains falling short of their full potential.
Author(s): Shane, Mathew & William Liefert

 Adjusting for Living Costs Can Change Who Is Considered Poor  Nov-06
Adjusting Federal poverty measures to account for geographic cost-of-living differences reverses the rankings of metro and nonmetro poverty.
Author(s): Jolliffe, Dean

 Brazil's Booming Agriculture Faces Obstacles  Nov-06
Brazil's position as a food and agricultural superpower could be threatened as supply-side factors slow production growth and rising domestic demand reduces surpluses.
Author(s): Valdes, Constanza

 Food Safety Improvements Underway in China  Nov-06
Facing growing demand abroad and at home for safer food, China is overhauling its food system to meet international food safety standards.
Author(s): Calvin, Linda, Fred Gale, Dinghuan Hu & Bryan Lohmar

 Managing Risk With Revenue Insurance  Nov-06
Revenue insurance may do a better job of stabilizing farm income and may protect more farms than other risk management tools.
Author(s): Dismukes, Robert & Keith H. Coble

 Agricultural Policy Affects Land Use and the Environment  Sep-06
Policies that shift less productive cropland in and out of cultivation may have larger than anticipated environmental effects.
Author(s): Lubowski, Ruben, Roger Claassen & Michael Roberts

 Food Assistance: How Strong Is the Safety Net?  Sep-06
Food assistance programs increase food spending and combat poverty, but their effect on nutrition is more uncertain.
Author(s): LeBlanc, Michael, Biing-Hwan Lin & David Smallwood

 Global Agriculture and the Doha Round— Market Access Is the Key  Sep-06
Despite benefits of freer trade, high agricultural tariffs remain a sticking point in suspended Doha Round trade talks.
Author(s): Effland, Anne, Mary Anne Normile & John Wainio

 Income Volatility Complicates Food Assistance  Sep-06
Income volatility is especially high for poorer households, so targeted food assistance programs must account for swings in eligibility.
Author(s): Newman, Constance

 A Revolution in Food Retailing Underway in the Asia-Pacific Region  Jun-06
Modern foodstores are an economic force in developing countries in the Pacfiic Rim.
Author(s): Coyle, William

 Land Retirement and Working-Land Conservation Structures: A Look at Farmers' Choices  Jun-06
Farmers' conservation choices vary with farm, household, and environmental characteristics.
Author(s): Lambert, Dayton & Patrick Sullivan

 Meat-Processing Firms Attract Hispanic Workers to Rural America  Jun-06
Hispanics increasingly meet labor demand arising from industry restructuring.
Author(s): Kandel, William

 Where Should the Money Go? Aligning Policies With Preferences  Jun-06
Accounting for individual risk preferences can help policymakers allocate scare tax dollars among programs.
Author(s): Kuchler, Fred & Elise Golan

 Agriculture and Rural Communities Are Resilient to High Energy Costs  Apr-06
Rising energy prices may prompt farmers and rural residents to make tradeoffs in their production practices and daily lives.
Author(s): Shoemaker, Robbin, David McGranahan & William McBride

 Economic Effects of Animal Diseases Linked to Trade Dependency  Apr-06
Though global meat trade has not fallen in response to animal disease outbreaks, a few countries have seen significant changes to their exports and imports.
Author(s): Blayney, Don, John Dyck & David Harvey

 Ethanol Reshapes the Corn Market  Apr-06
The expanding U.S. ethanol sector is stimulating demand for corn, but alternatives to corn may dampen that demand.
Author(s): Baker, Allen & Steven Zahniser

 Public Information Creates Value  Apr-06
A case study of the USDA Soybean Rust Coordinated Framework finds that the value of the information provided by the framework exceeds its cost.
Author(s): Roberts, Michael & David Schimmelpfennig

 Agricultural Contracting: Trading Autonomy for Risk Reduction  Feb-06
Farming is a risky business. Sharp changes in farm production or farm prices, driven by the vagaries of weather and disease, sudden shocks to export markets, or the introduction of new technologies, can lead to striking changes in a farmer’s income in a short period of time. Agricultural contracts can shift such risks from farmers to contractors, and facilitate farm expansion.
Author(s): Key, Nigel & James M. MacDonald

 Environmental Credit Trading: Can Farming Benefit?  Feb-06  This article is a web update
Environmental regulations often require firms that emit pollutants to limit emissions to a set level or to install specific emission-reducing technologies. While fairly straightforward, this command-and-control approach can be costly both to the firms and to society. Firms with high costs of pollution reduction and those with low costs are required to meet the same requirements, which may waste resources. Environmental credit trading, an alternative to command-and-control regulations, is a market-based approach to comply with regulations that could achieve pollution abatement goals at lower costs to society.
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc, Robert Johansson & Carol Jones

 EU and U.S. Organic Markets Face Strong Demand Under Different Policies  Feb-06
Organic markets in the European Union member states and the U.S. are nearly the same size in terms of retail sales. At the same time, their farm sectors differ significantly, with the EU-15 member states having more organic farmland and more organic operations than the U.S.
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Lydia Oberholtzer

 Food Stamps and Obesity: Ironic Twist or Complex Puzzle?  Feb-06
With its roots in the Great Depression and expansion during the 1970s after the Government’s declared war on poverty, the Food Stamp Program was designed to provide a nutritional safety net for low-income households while boosting demand for domestic agricultural products. Today it is the Nation’s largest food assistance program, providing monthly benefits to about 24 million people at a cost of $27 billion in 2004.
Author(s): Ver Ploeg, Michele, Lisa Mancino & Biing-Hwan Lin

 The World Bids Farewell to the Multifiber Arrangement  Feb-06
Clothing is one of life’s necessities, so a new trade policy that lowers clothing prices affects us all. Such a change took place at the beginning of 2005, as the U.S., Canada, and the European Union (EU) discontinued most of their limits on imports of yarn, fabric, and clothing from developing countries.
Author(s): MacDonald, Stephen

 Changing Federal Tax Policies Affect Farm Households Differently  Nov-05
Significant changes in Federal individual income tax and estate and gift tax policies have occurred over the last few years. Since the Federal individual income tax imposes the largest tax burden on the broadest group of farmers and the Federal estate tax can affect the ability to transfer the farm operation to the next generation, these changes are of considerable importance to the farm community.
Author(s): Durst, Ron

 Education as a Rural Development Strategy  Nov-05
Educational attainment in rural America reached a historic high in 2000, with nearly one in six rural adults holding a 4-year college degree, and more than three in four completing high school. As the demand for workers with higher educational qualifications rises, many rural policymakers have come to view local educational levels as a critical determinant of job and income growth in their communities.
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 U.S. Dairy at a New Crossroads in a Global Setting  Nov-05
Domestic dairy industries and markets worldwide are often cast as heavily protected with limited exposure to global competition. However, despite high tariffs and price support policies that persist in many of the world’s dairy-producing countries, today’s milk producers and dairy companies face increasing competitive forces from outside their borders.
Author(s): Blayney, Don & Mark Gehlhar

 Where You Shop Matters: Store Formats Drive Variation in Retail Food Prices  Nov-05
Americans’ food shopping habits are changing. Just 20 years ago, traditional grocery stores claimed nearly 90 percent of Americans’ at-home food purchases. Today, their share has dropped to 69 percent. Led by retail giants Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target, nontraditional food stores have managed to grab market share by enticing consumers with a formula of one-stop shopping and lower prices.
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Asia-Pacific Transportation Infrastructure: Linking Food Sources to Urban Centers  Sep-05
A century ago, the world’s population was largely rural; only 5 percent lived in urban areas. But now, rapid growth in urban areas, particularly in developing countries, is making this the century of the city, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, where half the population lives in urban areas, accounting for barely 2 percent of the land mass.
Author(s): Coyle, William

 Farm Poverty Lowest in U.S. History  Sep-05
Poverty on America’s farms has been an economic reality for most of the country’s history. Fifty years ago, half of all farm families were poor. The images of impoverished farmers living through the Dust Bowl of the 1930s remain fixed in the minds of Americans. The New Deal, which was the genesis of many USDA programs, addressed the Nation’s concerns for this vulnerable population, which, back then, relied largely on farming for its livelihood. Thus, safety net programs that linked payments to commodity production were a logical means of reducing farm poverty at that time.
Author(s): Offutt, Susan & Craig Gunderson

 Improving Air and Water Quality Can Be Two Sides of the Same Coin  Sep-05
Rural areas have long been idealized as the place to go for good, clean air. However, the “fresh” air of the countryside may not be so fresh after all. Since farmers began tilling the soil to grow crops and raise animals, agricultural production practices have generated a variety of substances that enter the atmosphere and have the potential of creating health and environmental problems.
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc & Marca Weinberg

 Rural Areas Benefit From Recreation and Tourism Development  Sep-05
Beautiful scenery—lakes, mountains, forests—attracts people to rural resort areas in the United States. Rural recreation areas have grown rapidly in recent years, and recreation and tourism development has become a popular vehicle for rural economic development.
Author(s): Reeder, Richard & Dennis Brown

 North America Moves Toward One Market  Jun-05
This feature article for Amber Waves examines how the agricultural economies of Canada, Mexico, and the United States are increasingly behaving as if they form one market.
Author(s): Zahniser, Steven

 Obesity Policy and the Law of Unintended Consequences  Jun-05
Action to combat obesity and overweight could come in many forms since many variables influence diet and lifestyle choices.
Author(s): Kuchler, Fred, Elise Golan, Jayachandran Variyam & Stephen R. Crutchfield

 Why Hasn't Crop Insurance Eliminated Disaster Assistance?  Jun-05
This Amber Waves article reviews farmer participation in the Federal crop insurance program, which has been promoted as a replacement for ad hoc disaster assistance.
Author(s): Dismukes, Robert & Joseph Glauber

 Will 2005 Be the Year of the Whole Grains?  Jun-05
For the first time, the Dietary Guidelines have specific recommendations for whole grain consumption separate from those for refined grains.
Author(s): Buzby, Jean, Hodan Farah & Gary Vocke

 How Do U.S. Farmers Plan for Retirement?  Apr-05
The approaching retirement of the baby boom generation has focused attention across all segments of society on issues related to retirement and succession planning. Government policies that can influence this planning and affect retirement income are of increased interest to policymakers. Recent tax initiatives have provided greater incentives for individuals to save for retirement. The Administration has announced that social security reform is among its highest priorities during 2005.
Author(s): Mishra, Ashok, Ron Durst & Hisham El-Osta

 North American Greenhouse Tomatoes Emerge as a Major Market Force  Apr-05
The rapidly growing greenhouse tomato industry has become an important part of the North American fresh tomato industry. Greenhouse tomatoes now represent an estimated 17 percent of U.S. fresh tomato supply. Even though greenhouse tomatoes still constitute a minority share of the U.S. fresh tomato market, their influence is concentrated and growing in retail channels, which represent about half of U.S. tomato consumption.
Author(s): Calvin, Linda & Roberta Cook

 Policy Options for a Changing Rural America  Apr-05
In 1950, 4 out of every 10 rural people lived on a farm, and almost a third of the Nation’s rural workforce was engaged directly in production agriculture. Because agriculture dominated the social and economic well-being of most of the rural population, public policy related to agriculture was a dominant force shaping rural life both on the farm and in rural communities. But today, rural America is vastly different from 50 years ago, and current commodity-based farm policies do not fully address the complexities of rural economies and populations.
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie

 Understanding Economic and Behavioral Influences on Fruit and Vegetable Choices  Apr-05
Encouraging Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables has been a central theme of Federal dietary guidance for more than a decade. A recent Food Marketing Institute survey found that almost 70 percent of American shoppers believe their diets would be healthier if they ate more fruits and vegetables.
Author(s): Guthrie, Joanne, Biing-Hwan Lin, Jane Reed & Hayden Stewart

 Farm Programs, Natural Amenities, and Rural Development  Feb-05
Do farm program payments boost the vitality of rural communities? We might suppose that, by maintaining farm incomes, these payments allow participating farms and their households to remain viable and to continue purchasing local goods and services.
Author(s): McGranahan, David & Patrick Sullivan

 Processed Food Trade Pressured by Evolving Global Supply Chains  Feb-05
The last three decades have seen tremendous growth in sales of processed food sales now total $3.2 trillion, or about three-fourths of the total world food sales. But, contrary to initial expectations, this phenomenon has not led to significant growth in global trade only 6 percent of processed food sales are traded compared with 16 percent of major bulk agricultural commodities.
Author(s): Regmi, Anita & Mark Gehlhar

 The Price is Right: Economics and the Rise in Obesity  Feb-05
In 2003, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said in testimony before the House of Representatives: "I welcome this chance to talk with you about a health crisis affecting every State, every city, every community, and every school across our great Nation. The crisis is obesity. It's the fastest growing cause of death in America."
Author(s): Variyam, Jayachandran

 U.S.-Canadian Hog Trade: Market Integration at Work  Feb-05
The United States is expected to import more than 8 million hogs from Canada in 2004, a far cry from the 921,000 head imported just 10 years ago. Moreover, unlike 1994, hog imports this year will likely continue to be skewed in favor of feeder pigs.
Author(s): Haley, Mildred

 Devolution of Farm Programs Could Broaden States' Role in Ag Policy  Nov-04
The great diversity across States in farming circumstances and policy preferences suggests that tailoring farm programs to local circumstances may be more efficient. Devolution, or the transfer of control over Federal funds to States, is one way of adapting national policies to suit local preferences more closely.
Author(s): Offutt, Susan, Betsey Kuhn & Mitch Morehart

 Farmland Retirement's Impact on Rural Growth  Nov-04
USDA farmland retirement programs aim to preserve natural resources. But while their benefits to the environment and crop farmers are widely acknowledged, some fear that high levels of farmland retirement threaten the survival of nearby farming communities. A new ERS analysis suggests such fears are unfounded.
Author(s): Sullivan, Patrick, Daniel Hellerstein, David McGranahan & Stephen Vogel

 Low-Skill Jobs: A Shrinking Share of the Rural Economy  Nov-04
Although low-skill jobs are disproportionately found in rural areas, the rate of decline in the share of low-skill jobs was swifter there in the 1990s than in urban areas. Upgrading skills within the current mix of industries-rather than growth of new industries-was a key factor in the declining share of rural low-skill jobs.
Author(s): Dohlman, Erik, Edwin Young, Linwood Hoffman & William McBride

 U.S. Peanut Sector Adapts to Major Policy Changes  Nov-04
With the elimination of quotas under the 2002 Farm Act, U.S. peanut producers now respond to market forces rather than quota rights. Peanut production has risen in the Southeast, where producers have been more efficient, and has fallen in other regions.With the exit of less efficient producers,average yields have risen.
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert, Lorin Kusmin & John Cromartie

 European Union Adopts Significant Farm Reform  Sep-04
In June 2003, the European Union (EU) adopted a program of agricultural policy reform, building on earlier agricultural policy reforms enacted since 1992. This program was expanded to include additional commodities in 2004. The policy changes under these recent reforms will dramatically alter the way that producers are supported and alter the incentive structure for EU farmers, but are likely to have modest impacts on EU production and consumption.
Author(s): Kelch, David & Mary Anne Normile

 Fifty Years of U.S. Food Aid and Its Role in Reducing World Hunger  Sep-04
In 1996, the World Food Summit set its sights on reducing by half the number of hungry people in the world by 2015. But 8 years after the signing of this declaration, the international community is coming to grips with the fact that it will fall far short of its goal.
Author(s): Shapouri, Shahla & Stacey Rosen

 Measuring the Success of Conservation Programs  Sep-04
Defining and measuring success is easy—if you are Rube Goldberg. A widely acclaimed 20th century cartoonist, Goldberg depicted outlandish inventions that accomplished simple tasks through an intricate series of linked steps, each one triggering another until a desired outcome was reached.
Author(s): Smith, Katherine & Marca Weinberg

 Sharing the Economic Burden: Who Pays for WIC’s Infant Formula?  Sep-04
Proper nutrition during an infant’s first year is essential for long-term growth and development. Although breastfeeding is the best nutritional method of feeding most babies, not all mothers breastfeed their infants. For these infants, infant formula is a key, or even sole, source of nutrition during their first months of life.
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor & Mark Prell

 Emergency Providers Help Poor Households Put Food on the Table  Jun-04
The Federal Government spent over $40 billion in 2003 on food assistance to low-income Americans. Yet, many needy people still turn to the almost 40,000 privately run food pantries and soup kitchens in the United States.
Author(s): Tiehen, Laura

 Has Conservation Compliance Reduced Soil Erosion?  Jun-04
Cropland soil erosion has fallen since the 1980s, in part because the Federal Government started requiring farmers to engage in conservation activities or risk losing income support payments. But other factors are also at work.
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Rural Hispanics: Employment and Residential Trends  Jun-04
The Hispanic population is the largest, fastest growing minority in the U.S. Although largely an urban phenomenon, the Hispanic population is growing in nonmetro areas for the first time. What does this mean for the social, economic, and political future of rural America?
Author(s): Kandel, William & Constance Newman

 Where Will Demographics Take the Asia-Pacific Food System?  Jun-04
The population of the Asia-Pacific region is rapidly becoming more urban, increasing in number, and getting older. Over the next 20 years, these three demographic trends will generate powerful economic forces that will challenge the region’s food system.
Author(s): Coyle, William, Brad Gilmour & Walter J. Armbruster

 A Historic Enlargement: Ten Countries Prepare to Join the European Union  Apr-04
From the day the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the governments of the formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) began to discuss the idea of joining the European Union (EU).
Author(s): Cochrane, Nancy

 Beyond Environmental Compliance: Stewardship as Good Business  Apr-04
Roughly half of all land in the lower 48 States is farmland, including cropland, land in the Conservation Reserve Program, pastureland, and rangeland.
Author(s): Hopkins, Jeffrey & Robert Johansson

 Food Traceability: One Ingredient in a Safe and Efficient Food Supply  Apr-04
Food traceability is in the news—in articles ranging from food safety and bioterrorism to the consumer’s right to know.
Author(s): Golan, Elise, Barry Krissoff & Fred Kuchler

 Savvy Buyers Spur Food Safety Innovations in Meat Processing  Apr-04
Recent industry innovations improving the safety of the Nation’s meat supply range from new pathogen tests, high-tech equipment, and supply-chain management systems to new surveillance networks
Author(s): Golan, Elise, Tanya Roberts & Michael Ollinger

 Anatomy of Nonmetro High Poverty Areas: Common in Plight, Distinctive in Nature  Feb-04
Poverty declined in the 1990s, particularly in rural and small-town nonmetro areas. Still, over 400 nonmetro areas had poverty rates of at least 20 percent in 2000. What socioeconomic factors characterize these high poverty areas, and what kinds of policies will help them?
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Have Seed Industry Changes Affected Research Effort?  Feb-04
Crop variety research and development have contributed to the unprecedented crop yields experienced by U.S. farmers since the 1930s. As the seed sector becomes increasingly dominated by large private firms, will the intensity of research effort decrease?
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge & David Schimmelpfennig

 Progress and Partnerships in a Dynamic Rural America  Feb-04  This article is a web update
Rural America faces many opportunities and challenges in the 21st century. Will partnerships between public and private institutions help to enhance the economic prospects for rural residents?
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie, Joseph Jen & Kathleen Kassel

 The Elephant is Jogging: New Pressures for Agricultural Reform in India  Feb-04
Endowed with rich land, water, and labor resources, India’s agricultural sector boomed in the last half of the 20th century. Now, however, the ag sector is facing new pressures to meet the demands of a growing middle class. Are producers and policymakers poised to respond to these pressures?
Author(s): Landes, Maurice R.

 The U.S. Trade Balance. . . More Than Just A Number  Feb-04
The United States has been a net exporter of agricultural products since 1959, an uninterrupted span of 44 years.
Author(s): Jerardo, Alberto

 Consumers and the Future of Biotech Foods in the United States  Nov-03
Biotechnology is often associated with promise…promise to feed the world, promise to reduce environmental harm, promise to expand agricultural markets and production possibilities, promise to create products that consumers want.
Author(s): Shoemaker, Robbin, Johnson D. Demcey & Elise Golan

 Emphasis Shifts in U.S. Agri-Environmental Policy  Nov-03
Recognizing the negative impact that some farming practices (excess fertilization and manure, for example) can have on our Nation’s natural resources, policymakers have been devoting more attention and funding to agri-environmental policies and programs.
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Food Safety and Trade: Regulations, Risks, and Reconciliation  Nov-03
Global food trade is expanding, providing consumers with access to a wider year-round variety of foods at lower prices.
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Lorraine Mitchell

 From Supply Push to Demand Pull: Agribusiness Strategies for Today’s Consumers  Nov-03
In the early 20th century, most types of farm products were sold as commodities on the open market.
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen & Hayden Stewart

 Balancing Food Costs with Nutrition Goals in WIC  Sep-03  This article is a web update
Many States have employed a variety of restrictions on retail stores and food items to reduce food costs for USDA's third-largest food assistance program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Can States control costs while meeting WIC nutrition and health goals?
Author(s): Kaufman, Phil

 Multilateralism and Regionalism: Dual Strategies for Trade Reform  Sep-03
The U.S. is pursuing trade liberalization through regional agreements, such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas, and multilateral negotiations at the World Trade Organization. Why does the U.S. do both simultaneously?
Author(s): Burfisher, Mary & Steven Zahniser

 Nonmetro Poverty: Assessing the Effect of the 1990s  Sep-03
The 1990s ushered in unprecedented economic prosperity and major welfare system reforms in the United States. The nonmetro poverty rate fell, but inched back up in 2001. Will nonmetro poverty resume its downward pattern in the 21st century?
Author(s): Jolliffe, Dean

 Production Costs Critical to Farming Decisions  Sep-03
Weather, breeding cycles,world stocks, and consumption swings can all make for uncertain farm income, but farmers make a host of production decisions that can affect costs and predispose them to weathering out rough patches. What are these decisions and to what extent are U.S. farmers covering costs?
Author(s): McBride, William

 U.S. Tobacco Industry Responding to New Competitors, New Challenges  Sep-03
U.S. tobacco, which is more expensive in part due to the Federal tobacco program, has been supplanted in many markets by cheaper foreign leaf of increasing quality. Can the tobacco program, after 65 years, be retooled to address this reality?
Author(s): Capehart, Tom

 Aiming for Targets, Saving on Arrows: Recent Insights from Two USDA Food Assistance Programs  Jun-03
Efficiency involves converting the least amount of inputs into the greatest amount of outputs, which is important not only in farming but also in food assistance programs.
Author(s): Prell, Mark

 China’s Growing Affluence: How Food Markets are Responding  Jun-03
The proliferation in China of restaurants, supermarkets, advertising, new products, and attractively packaged goods signals Chinese consumers’ new, more prominent influence in their country’s economy.
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Plant Genetic Resources: New Rules for International Exchange  Jun-03
All crops, whether traditional varieties selected and harvested by farmers or modern varieties bred by professional plant breeders, descend from wild and improved genetic resources (also called germplasm) collected around the world.
Author(s): Day-Rubenstein, Kelly & Paul Heisey

 Rural Welfare Reform: Lessons Learned  Jun-03
Welfare reform legislation enacted in 1996 under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) dramatically altered the social safety net for poor Americans
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie, Robert Gibbs & Lorin Kusmin

 Consumer-Driven Agriculture: Changing U.S. Demographics Influence Eating Habits  Apr-03
Farmers know that consumers are key to economic viability and growth, and their preferences drive the evolution of the farm industry. Three demographic trends will shape future U.S. food markets: more mature consumers, more diversity, and more people to feed.
Author(s): Ballenger, Nicole & James Blaylock

 Dynamics of Agricultural Competitiveness: Policy Lessons From Abroad  Apr-03
The experiences of South America, the former Soviet Union, and China show that government policies, national institutions, and even cultural values can profoundly affect the productivity of a country's resources and the competitiveness of its products in international markets.
Author(s): Dohlman, Erik, Stefan Osborne & Bryan Lohmar

 Methyl Bromide Phaseout Proceeds: Users request Exemptions  Apr-03
The worldwide phaseout of methyl bromide could mitigate some of the harmful effects of ozone depletion, but because the fumigant is so important to agricultural production, the phaseout could also have some negative effects for producers and consumers.
Author(s): Osteen, Craig

 Weighing incentives for food safety in meat and poultry  Apr-03
Along with Federal regulations requiring more preventative controls and bacterial testing, market mechanisms, such as increased product branding and stricter food safety requirements imposed by large buyers, are bolstering the safety of U.S. meat and poultry.
Author(s): Ollinger, Michael & Nicole Ballenger

 Farm Payments  Feb-03
Decoupled Payments Increase Households' Well-Being, Not Production Nearly all industrial countries provide subsidies to their farmers, often for the purpose of maintaining income from farming or reducing income variability.
Author(s): Burfisher, Mary & Jeffrey Hopkins

 Managing Manure  Feb-03
New Clean Water Act Regulations Create Imperative for Livestock Producers Ever-growing numbers of livestock and poultry per farm and per acre have increased the risk of water pollution.
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc

 Putting Food on the Table  Feb-03
Household Food Security in the United States Household food security—access at all times to enough food for active, healthy living—is taken for granted by most Americans. The struggle to avoid overeating is a more common American experience than the struggle to put enough food on the table.
Author(s): Nord, Mark & Margaret Andrews

 Rural America  Feb-03
Opportunities and Challenges. At the beginning of the 21st century, rural America comprises 2,305 counties, contains 80 percent of the Nation's land, and is home to 56 million people.
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie & David McGranahan

Commodity Programs and Policy
 Managing Risk With Revenue Insurance  May-07
Revenue insurance may do a better job of stabilizing farm income and may protect more farms than other risk management tools.
Author(s): Dismukes, Robert & Keith H. Coble

 Relaxing Fruit and Vegetable Planting Restrictions  May-07
A recent WTO ruling may result in the elimination of planting restrictions on certain crops, a long-time feature of U.S. commodity programs.
Author(s): Young, Edwin, Demcey Johnson, Barry Krissoff & Gary Lucier

Policy Options
 Emphasis Shifts in U.S. Conservation Policy  Jul-06
To address the negative impact that some farming practices can have on natural resources, policymakers have both increased conservation program funding and shifted its emphasis.
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

Conservation
 Emphasis Shifts in U.S. Conservation Policy — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Environmental Credit Trading: Can Farming Benefit?  May-07
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc, Robert Johansson & Carol Jones

Policy Outcomes
 Farmland Retirement's Impact on Rural Growth  Jul-06
Local economies with high levels of enrollment in land retirement programs lose farm-related jobs in the short-term, but, over time, add jobs as they adjust to new business opportunities.
Author(s): Sullivan, Patrick, Daniel Hellerstein, David McGranahan & Stephen Vogel

 Land Retirement and Working-land Conservation Structures: A Look at Farmer's Choices  Jul-06
Farmers’ conservation choices vary with farm, household, and environmental characteristics.
Author(s): Lambert, Dayton & Patrick Sullivan

 Measuring the Success of Conservation Programs  Jul-06
Though farmers may be induced by conservation program payments to change their farming practices, it is difficult to link their actions to outcomes, because they take place within a larger set of complex interactions.
Author(s): Smith, Katherine & Marca Weinberg

Emerging Issues
 Environmental Credit Trading: Can Farming Benefit?  Jul-06
Environmental credit trading is a market-based approach to complying with environmental regulations that could achieve pollution abatement goals at lower costs to society.
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc, Robert Johansson & Carol Jones

 Improving Air and Water Quality Can Be Two Sides of the Same Coin  Jul-06
Environmental regulations and incentives that address multiple media, like air and water, are more likely to cost-effective in meeting resource quality goals.
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc & Marca Weinberg

Food and Nutrition
 Food Assistance: How Strong Is the Safety Net?  May-07
Food assistance programs increase food spending and combat poverty, but their effect on nutrition is more uncertain.
Author(s): LeBlanc, Michael, Biing-Hwan Lin & David Smallwood

 Improving Food Choices — Can Food Stamps Do More?  May-07
An expanded focus on nutrition may steer food stamp participants to better diets.
Author(s): Guthrie, Joanne, Elizabeth Frazão, Margaret Andrews & David Smallwood

Rural Development and Energy
 Ethanol Reshapes the Corn Market — Updated  May-07
A recent WTO ruling may result in the elimination of planting restrictions on certain crops, a long-time feature of U.S. commodity programs.
Author(s): Baker, Allen & Steven Zahniser

 Policy Options for a Changing Rural America — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie & Tim Parker

TOP Findings
Commodity Programs and Policy
 Assessing Farm Household Well-Being—Beyond Farmers and Farm Income — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Hopkins, Jeffrey, Ashok Mishra & Mitch Morehart

 How Do Decoupled Payments Affect Resource Allocations Within the Farm Sector?  May-07
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary, Robert Collender, Mitch Morehart & Michael Roberts

 U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Imports Outpace Exports — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Krissoff, Barry & John Wainio

 U.S. Organic Farm Sector Continues To Expand — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Greene, Catherine

Markets and Trade
 A Pilot Program for U.S. Food Aid  Nov-08
Author(s): Rosen, Stacey

 Lasting Influence of BSE on U.S. Protein Feed Markets  Nov-08
Author(s): Mathews, Ken & Greg Pompelli

 Consumer Preferences Change Wheat Flour Use  Sep-08
Author(s): Vocke, Gary, Jean Buzby & Hodan Farah Wells

 What’s Behind the Surge in Global Rice Prices?  Sep-08
Author(s): Childs, Nathan & James Kiawu

 ERS and Collaborators Model Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks  Jun-08
Author(s): Mathews, Ken

 Marketing Loans Induced Acreage Expansion in U.S. Dry Peas  Jun-08
Author(s): Lin, William & Gary Lucier

 Whey, Once a Marginal Byproduct, Comes Into Its Own  Apr-08
Author(s): Toasa, Jose

 Why Has Japan’s Orange Market Declined?  Apr-08
Author(s): Dyck, John & Susan L. Pollack

 Canadian Dollar Reaches Parity With U.S. Dollar  Feb-08
Author(s): Shane, Mathew & Paul Sundell

 Record Levels of Cash Receipts and Income Forecast in 2008  Feb-08  This article is a web update
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch & James Johnson

 Stronger Canadian Dollar Puts Pressure on Canada’s Pork Industry  Feb-08
Author(s): Haley, Mildred

 Global Production Shortfalls Bring Record Wheat Prices  Nov-07
Author(s): Vocke, Gary

 Stronger Currency Boosts Chinese Purchasing Power  Nov-07
Author(s): Gale, Fred & Francis Tuan

 Latest Indicators Point to Continued Strength of Farm Finances  Sep-07  This article is a web update
Author(s): Strickland, Roger & Mary Ahearn

 NAFTA’s Liberalization of Corn Trade Approaches the Finish Line  Sep-07
Author(s): Zahniser, Steven

 U.S. Sugar Program at a Crossroads  Sep-07
Author(s): Haley, Steve

 Chinese Consumers Demand Premium Foods  Jun-07
Author(s): Gale, Fred & Kuo Huang

 Consumers Demanding Identity Preservation in U.S. Grain Markets  Jun-07
Author(s): Elbehri, Aziz

 A New World for U.S. Cotton Producers  Apr-07
Author(s): MacDonald, Stephen & Leslie A. Meyer

 Ethanol Reduces Government Support for U.S. Feed Grain Sector  Apr-07
Author(s): Hoffman, Linwood

 Organic Poultry Gaining in Specialty Market Competition  Feb-07
Author(s): Greene, Catherine & Lydia Oberholtzer

 Promising Economic Outlook for Agricultural Sector Continues in 2007  Feb-07  This article is a web update
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch & James Johnson

 Rough Rice Exports Critical to U.S. Rice Producers  Feb-07
Author(s): Childs, Nathan

 Measuring the Importance of Exports to U.S. Agriculture  Nov-06
Author(s): Brooks, Nora

 New Phytosanitary Regulations Allow Higher Imports of Avocados  Nov-06
Author(s): Roberts, Donna & Agnes Perez

 Textile Trade Liberalization Brings Difficulties to Some Rural Communities  Sep-06
Author(s): MacDonald, Stephen & Karen Hamrick

 What Protects Japan’s Dairy Industry?  Sep-06
Author(s): Dyck, John

 Asia Leads World in Reducing Hunger  Jun-06
Author(s): Rosen, Stacey

 India and U.S. Could Gain From Liberalizing Oilseed Trade  Jun-06
Author(s): Persaud, Suresh

 Brazil Emerges As Major Force in Global Meat Markets  Apr-06
Author(s): Valdes, Constanza

 Chinese Banks Carry Out Rural Policy  Apr-06
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Farm Cash Margins Expected to Tighten in 2006  Feb-06  This article is a web update
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch & James Johnson

 India’s High Internal Marketing Costs Reduce Apple Demand  Feb-06
Author(s): Landes, Maurice R.

 U.S. Tobacco Sector Regroups  Feb-06
Author(s): Capehart, Tom

 Indian Cotton Yield Gains Could Limit Imports  Nov-05
Author(s): Landes, Maurice R.

 Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting: More Transparent?  Nov-05
Author(s): Perry, Janet & James M. MacDonald

 U.S. Could Expand Apple Imports to Japan  Nov-05
Author(s): Krissoff, Barry & Linda Calvin

 China's Food Market Revolution Reaches the Countryside  Sep-05
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Farmland Owners Designate Base Acres to Maximize Payments  Sep-05  This article is a web update
Author(s): Young, Edwin

 Organic Price Premiums Remain High  Sep-05
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Lydia Oberholtzer

 Some Improvements Are Projected for Global Food Security  Sep-05
Author(s): Shapouri, Shahla & Stacey Rosen

 China’s New Farm Policies Have Modest Impact  Jun-05
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Future of Preferential Trade Programs Concerns Developing Countries  Jun-05
Author(s): Shapouri, Shahla & John Wainio

 U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Imports Outpace Exports  Jun-05
Author(s): Krissoff, Barry & John Wainio

 Americans Have Growing Appetites for Imported Foods  Apr-05
Author(s): Jerardo, Alberto

 Ethyl Alcohol Becomes a Global Commodity  Apr-05
Author(s): Baker, Allen

 Will Hard White Wheat Become a Sustainable Wheat Class?  Apr-05
Author(s): Lin, William & Gary Vocke

 China's Economic Growth Faces Challenges  Feb-05
Author(s): Shane, Mathew

 Long-Lived Tobacco Program to End  Feb-05
Author(s): Capehart, Tom

 Taxes on Imports Subsidize Wheat Production in Japan  Feb-05
Author(s): Dyck, John & Hisao Fukuda

 U.S. Sugar Beet Farming—How “Sweet” Is It?  Feb-05  This article is a web update
Author(s): Ali, Mir

 China's Demand for Commodities Outpacing Supply  Nov-04
Author(s): Gale, Fred, Bryan Lohmar & Francis Tuan

 Contract Use Continues to Expand  Nov-04
Author(s): MacDonald, James M. & Janet Perry

 Grain Exports from the Black Sea: How Large?  Nov-04
Author(s): Liefert, William

 Slow Price Adjustment Benefits Beef and Pork Producers  Sep-04
Author(s): Hahn, William

 Structural Change Brings New Challenges to Soybean Price Forecasts  Sep-04
Author(s): Plato, Gerald & William Chambers

 Global Trade in Fruits and Vegetables Brings Variety to the Nation’s Grocery Stores  Jun-04
Author(s): Huang, Sophia Wu

 Mexico’s Corn Industries and U.S.-Mexico Corn Trade  Jun-04
Author(s): Zahniser, Steven & William Coyle

 Untapped Potential of Cuba’s Citrus and Tropical Fruit Industry  Jun-04
Author(s): Kost, William E.

 Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling – Will It Benefit Consumers?  Apr-04
Author(s): Krissoff, Barry & Fred Kuchler

 Processed Products Propel Gains in U.S. Agricultural Exports  Apr-04
Author(s): Whitton, Carol

 U.S. Seafood Market Shifts to Aquaculture  Apr-04
Author(s): Harvey, David

 Marketing Could Boost the U.S. Sheep Industry  Feb-04
Author(s): Jones, Keithly

 Russia Changes Global Market for Livestock Products  Feb-04
Author(s): Liefert, William

 Volume Production Keeps Floriculture Prices Low  Feb-04
Author(s): Jerardo, Alberto

 A Richer World Wants a Richer Diet  Nov-03
Author(s): Regmi, Anita

 Are More Livestock Hitting the Road?  Nov-03
Author(s): Mathews, Ken

 China’s Vegetable Exports Challenge the U.S. in Japan’s Market  Nov-03
Author(s): Huang, Sophia Wu

 Agriculture Economy Improves in 2003  Sep-03  This article is a web update
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch & James Johnson

 Differences in Demand Help Shape Meat Trade  Sep-03
Author(s): Dyck, John & Ken Nelson

 North America: One Market, Big Payoffs, Many Challenges  Sep-03
Author(s): Vollrath, Tom

 Vegetable Consumption Away from Home on the Rise  Sep-03
Author(s): Lucier, Gary

 Are U.S. And European Union Agricultural Policies Becoming More Similar?  Jun-03
Author(s): Normile, Mary Anne

 Nontraditional Exporters Increase Role In Wheat Market  Jun-03
Author(s): Allen, Edward W. & Ronald Trostle

 China Slow in Meeting WTO Commitments  Apr-03
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Will Water Scarcity Limit China's Agricultural Potential?  Apr-03
Author(s): Lohmar, Bryan

 Farm Financial Picture Looks Promising for 2003  Feb-03  This article is a web update
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch & James Johnson

 Global Hunger at Its Roots  Feb-03
Author(s): Rosen, Stacey & Shahla Shapouri

 Is Japan Ready for Competition in Its Ag Markets?  Feb-03
Author(s): Dyck, John

 Sanitary Concerns Restrict U.S.-Mexico Poultry Trade  Feb-03  This article is a web update
Author(s): Salin, Delmy L.

 The Economic Well-Being of Farm Households  Feb-03
Author(s): Mishra, Ashok

Policy Options
 A Multitude of Design Decisions Influence Conservation Program Performance  Jul-06
Author(s): Weinberg, Marca & Roger Claassen

 Rural Amenities: A Key Reason for Farmland Protection  Jul-06
Author(s): Nickerson, Cynthia & Daniel Hellerstein

Conservation
 Bidding Enhances Conservation Program Cost Effectiveness  May-07
Author(s): Johansson, Robert & Marca Weinberg

 Green Payments: Can Income and Conservation Payments Be Combined  May-07
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

Diet and Health
 2008 Farm Act Makes It Easier for Food Assistance Households To Save  Nov-08
Author(s): Andrews, Margaret

 Stabilizing Federal Support for Emergency Food Providers  Nov-08
Author(s): Tiehen, Laura

 Despite Higher Food Prices, Percent of U.S. Income Spent on Food Remains Constant  Sep-08
Author(s): Clauson, Annette

 Use of Nutrition Labels Declining, Especially Among Young Adults  Sep-08
Author(s): Todd, Jessica

 Almonds Lead Increase in Tree Nut Consumption  Jun-08
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Susan L. Pollack

 Lower Income Households Spend Additional Income on Foods Other Than Fruit and Vegetables  Jun-08
Author(s): Stewart, Hayden

 Carrot Consumption Varies With Age, Income, and Race  Apr-08
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan & Gary Lucier

 Food Stamp Benefits Provide Fiscal Stimulus  Apr-08
Author(s): Hanson, Kenneth

 Informing Food and Nutrition Assistance Policy  Apr-08
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor

 Disability Is an Important Risk Factor for Food Insecurity  Feb-08
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 High-Fructose Corn Syrup Usage May Be Leveling Off  Feb-08
Author(s): Farah, Hodan & Jean Buzby

 Americans' Dairy Consumption Below Recommendations  Nov-07
Author(s): Wells, Hodan Farah & Jean Buzby

 Food Product Introductions Continue To Set Records  Nov-07
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen

 Food Spending Depends on Age and Income  Sep-07
Author(s): Blisard, Noel & Hayden Stewart

 Time Is Money…and Dinner!  Sep-07
Author(s): Mancino, Lisa & Constance Newman

 Coffee Consumption Over the Last Century  Jun-07
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Steve Haley

 Soft Drink Companies Make Splash in Bottled Water  Jun-07
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen

 Coffee Bean Price Changes Pass Through to Grocery Shelves  Apr-07
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Dietary Recommendations Will Impact Agriculture  Apr-07
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Hodan Farah Wells

 National School Lunch Program Fills Food Assistance Gaps  Feb-07
Author(s): Ralston, Katherine

 Strong Competition in Food Retailing Despite Consolidation  Feb-07
Author(s): Kaufman, Phil

 Cost of Infant Formula for the WIC Program Rising  Nov-06
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor

 Healthy Restaurant Destination? Just Think Twice  Nov-06
Author(s): Stewart, Hayden & Noel Blisard

 Despite Katrina, Overall Food Prices Stable  Sep-06
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Food Stamp Program Boosts Farm Income and Jobs  Sep-06
Author(s): Hanson, Kenneth

 Americans Switch From Fresh to Frozen Potatoes  Jun-06
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Hodan Farah

 Children's Diets and WIC  Jun-06
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor & Katherine Ralston

 Chicken Consumption Continues Longrun Rise  Apr-06
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Hodan Farah

 How Low-Income Households Economize on Groceries  Apr-06
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 More Households Had Difficulty Meeting Their Food Needs  Feb-06
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 New Pathogen Tests Trigger Food Safety Innovations  Feb-06
Author(s): Roberts, Tanya

 Going With the Grain: Consumers Responding to New Dietary Guidelines  Nov-05
Author(s): Mancino, Lisa

 U.S. Food Consumption Up 16 Percent Since 1970  Nov-05
Author(s): Farah, Hodan & Jean Buzby

 Diet Quality Usually Varies by Income Status  Sep-05
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan

 How Americans Quench Their Thirsts  Sep-05
Author(s): Clauson, Annette

 After Leaving Welfare Food Stamps or Not!  Jun-05
Author(s): Levedahl, William

 Companies Continue To Offer New Foods Targeted to Children  Jun-05
Author(s): Harris, Michael J.

 Americans' Whole-Grain Consumption Below Guidelines  Apr-05
Author(s): Mancino, Lisa & Jean Buzby

 Hog Contracts Signal Producers To Improve Quality  Apr-05
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen

 New Approaches Boost Food Stamp Participation by Elderly People  Apr-05
Author(s): Dagata, Elizabeth

 Cheese Consumption Continues to Rise  Feb-05
Author(s): Buzby, Jean

 Prices Dominate Interstate Variations in WIC Food Costs  Feb-05
Author(s): Davis, David

 Americans at Unequal Risk for Obesity  Nov-04
Author(s): Mancino, Lisa

 Taxing Snacks to Reduce Obesity  Nov-04
Author(s): Kuchler, Fred

 Do Local Food Stamp Offices Improve Access for the Working Poor?  Sep-04
Author(s): Andrews, Margaret

 How Expensive are Fruits and Vegetables Anyway?  Sep-04  This article is a web update
Author(s): Reed, Jane & Elizabeth Frazão

 Let's Eat Out: Full-Service or Fast Food?  Sep-04
Author(s): Stewart, Hayden

 Low-Income Households Spend Less on Fruits and Vegetables  Jun-04
Author(s): Blisard, Noel

 Technological Changes Contribute to Rise in Obesity  Jun-04
Author(s): Variyam, Jayachandran

 Food Stamp Participation Up in 2003  Apr-04
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor

 Market Incentives Raise Food Safety Bar  Apr-04
Author(s): Ollinger, Michael

 Got Milk? Implications of Generational and Aging Effects  Feb-04
Author(s): Blisard, Noel

 How Many U.S. Households Face Hunger... and How Often?  Feb-04
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 Juries Award Higher Amounts for Severe Foodborne Illnesses  Feb-04
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Paul D. Frenzen

 Competition Alters the U.S. Food Marketing Landscape  Nov-03
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen

 Free Fruit and Vegetable Snacks a Big Hit in Schools  Nov-03
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Joanne Guthrie

 Productivity Growth Lags in Food Manufacturing  Nov-03
Author(s): Huang, Kuo

 The Dynamics of Food Insufficiency  Sep-03
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 What Weight Problem?  Sep-03
Author(s): Kuchler, Fred & Jayachandran Variyam

 Information Sways Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Biotech Foods  Jun-03
Author(s): Tegene, Abebayehu

 U.S. Hog and Poultry Marketing: Similar Paths, Similar Outcomes?  Jun-03
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen

 Calculating the Cost of Foodborne Illness-A New Tool to Value Food Safety Risks  Apr-03
Author(s): Golan, Elise

 Dietary Differences Masked by Averages  Apr-03
Author(s): Variyam, Jayachandran

 Emergency Food Providers Supplement Federal Aid  Apr-03
Author(s): Tiehen, Laura

 Food Stamps and Child Poverty  Feb-03
Author(s): Jolliffe, Dean & Laura Tiehen

 Hold the Fries: Older Americans and Food Choices  Feb-03
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan & Noel Blisard

 Market Dynamics Keep Food Prices Steady  Feb-03  This article is a web update
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 What If: Cash Instead of Food Stamps?  Feb-03  This article is a web update
Author(s): Hanson, Kenneth

Policy Outcomes
 Conservation Compliance May Reduce Soil Erosion  Jul-06
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 U.S. Organic Farm Sector Continues to Expand  Jul-06
Author(s): Greene, Catherine

Diet and Health
 Emergency Food Assistance Reaches Hurricane Victims  Sep-06
Author(s): Hanson, Kenneth

Emerging Issues
 Hypoxia in the Gulf: Addressing Agriculture's Contribution  Jul-06
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc

 Is Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture Economically Feasible?  Jul-06
Author(s): Lewandrowski, Jan & Carol Jones

Food and Nutrition
 Fruit and Vegetables in the Limelight  May-07
Author(s): Pollack, Susan L. & Gary Lucier

 Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling: Will It Benefit Consumers? — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Krissoff, Barry & Fred Kuchler

 National School Lunch Program Fills Food Assistance Gaps  May-07
Author(s): Ralston, Katherine

Resources and Environment
 Conservation Program Provision May Have Limited Impact on Underserved Farmer Participation  Nov-08
Author(s): Hand, Michael S. & Cynthia Nickerson

 Conservation Reserve Program Acreage To Decline; Will Benefits Also Fall?  Nov-08
Author(s): Claassen, Roger & Daniel Hellerstein

 Fee Hunting May Boost Farm Income, Wildlife Habitat  Sep-08
Author(s): Hellerstein, Daniel

 Rapid Growth in Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops Continues in U.S.  Sep-08
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Pest Problems Abroad May Affect Compliance With U.S. Safeguards  Jun-08
Author(s): Livingston, Michael

 Soil Conservation Preserves Reservoir Benefits Nationwide  Jun-08
Author(s): Hansen, LeRoy

 Agricultural Research Sustains Productivity Growth and Earns High Returns  Feb-08
Author(s): Fuglie, Keith & Paul Heisey

 Land Retirement Programs May Induce Enduring Land-Use Changes  Feb-08
Author(s): Lubowski, Ruben & Michael Roberts

 Conservation Reserve Program Boosts Outdoor Recreation in Rural Communities  Nov-07
Author(s): Hellerstein, Daniel

 Tight Supply and Strong Demand May Raise U.S. Fertilizer Prices  Nov-07
Author(s): Huang, Wen

 Managing Environmental Risk at the Rural-Urban Fringe  Sep-07
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc

 U.S. Farmers Increase Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops and Favor Multiple Traits  Sep-07
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Can Commodity Program Payments Encourage Better Nutrient Management?  Jun-07
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Sources of Public Agricultural R&D Changing  Jun-07
Author(s): Day-Rubenstein, Kelly, Paul Heisey & David Schimmelpfennig

 Farmland Preservation Programs: Another Tool for Managing Urban Growth?  Apr-07
Author(s): Nickerson, Cynthia & Daniel Hellerstein

 Model Captures the Interaction Between Agriculture and the Environment  Apr-07
Author(s): Johansson, Robert & Scott Malcolm

 Bidding Enhances Conservation Program Cost Effectiveness  Feb-07
Author(s): Weinberg, Marca

 Targeting Conservation Funds Increases Environmental Benefits  Feb-07
Author(s): Hansen, LeRoy

 Agriculture Dominates Freshwater Use in the U.S.  Nov-06
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel

 Irrigated Acres Up, Water Application Rate Trending Down  Nov-06
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel

 Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops Continues To Increase  Sep-06
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Indicators Highlight Links Between Agricultural Resources and the Environment  Sep-06
Author(s): Wiebe, Keith

 Conservation Programs: Balancing Outcomes With a Selection Index  Jun-06
Author(s): Nickerson, Cynthia & Daniel Hellerstein

 Growing More With Less Cropland  Jun-06
Author(s): Lubowski, Ruben

 Economic Research Helps Manage Invasive Species  Apr-06
Author(s): Osteen, Craig

 U.S. Organic Farm Sector Continues to Expand  Apr-06
Author(s): Greene, Catherine

 Regulating Ammonia Emissions From Hog Farms Would Raise Costs  Feb-06
Author(s): Key, Nigel

 Use of Conservation-Compatible Practices Varies by Farm Type  Feb-06
Author(s): Lambert, Dayton & Patrick Sullivan

 Patenting and Licensing Are Tools for Technology Transfer  Nov-05
Author(s): Heisey, Paul & John King

 Stable Farm Count Masks Turnover  Nov-05
Author(s): Hoppe, Robert & Penelope Korb

 Crop Genetic Diversity Boosts Production But Faces Threats  Sep-05
Author(s): Day-Rubenstein, Kelly & Paul Heisey

 Use of Genetically Engineered Crops Rising Steadily During First Decade  Sep-05
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Ag Biotech Patents on the Move  Jun-05
Author(s): Schimmelpfennig, David & John King

 Ag Productivity Drives Output Growth  Jun-05
Author(s): Ball, Eldon

 Production Shifting to Very Large Family Farms  Jun-05
Author(s): Hoppe, Robert & David Banker

 How Do Decoupled Payments Affect Resource Allocations Within the Farm Sector?  Nov-04
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary, Robert Collender, Mitch Morehart & Michael Roberts

 Economic Risks of Soybean Rust in the U.S. Vary by Region  Sep-04
Author(s): Daberkow, Stan

 Genetically Engineered Crop Varieties Gain Further Acreage Share in 2004  Sep-04
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 How Does Farmland Retirement Affect Rural Counties?  Jun-04
Author(s): Hellerstein, Daniel & Patrick Sullivan

 Irrigation, Water Conservation, and Farm Size in the Western United States  Jun-04
Author(s): Schaible, Glenn

 Are Bankruptcies Behind the Drop in Farm Numbers?  Apr-04
Author(s): Stam, Jerome & Robert Hoppe

 Is Carbon Sequestration Economically Feasible?  Apr-04
Author(s): Lewandrowski, Jan & Carol Jones

 Assessing Farm Household Well-Being—Beyond Farmers and Farm Income  Feb-04
Author(s): Hopkins, Jeffrey & Mitch Morehart

 Science and Technology Hold Promise for Developing Countries in the 21st Century  Feb-04
Author(s): Caswell, Margriet

 U.S. Increasingly Imports Nitrogen and Potash Fertilizer  Feb-04
Author(s): Huang, Wen

 Dead Zone in the Gulf: Addressing Agriculture’s Contribution  Nov-03
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc

 Greenbelts? Not Without Greenbacks  Nov-03
Author(s): Heimlich, Ralph

 Balancing Conservation Costs and Benefits  Sep-03
Author(s): Cattaneo, Andrea

 What You Want to Know About Resources and the Environment…But Couldn’t Find  Sep-03
Author(s): Magleby, Richard & Ralph Heimlich

 Manure Management: A Growing Challenge in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed  Jun-03
Author(s): Aillery, Marcel & Noel Gollehon

 Will Land Degradation Prove Malthus Right After All?  Jun-03
Author(s): Wiebe, Keith

 ERS Launches Invasive Species Initiative  Apr-03
Author(s): Vasavada, Utpal & Mary Bohman

 Trends in Extension Resources  Apr-03
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary

 Organic Agriculture Gaining Ground  Feb-03
Author(s): Greene, Catherine & Carolyn Dimitri

 Rural Amenities: A Key Reason for Farmland Protection  Feb-03
Author(s): Nickerson, Cynthia & Daniel Hellerstein

Commodity Background Reports
 Fruit and Vegetables in the Limelight  Sep-06
Author(s): Pollack, Susan L. & Gary Lucier

 International Trade, Biofuel Initiatives Reshaping the Soybean Sector  Sep-06
Author(s): Ash, Mark & Erik Dohlman

Rural America
 College Completion Rates Rise But Nonmetro Areas Continue To Lag  Apr-08
Author(s): Kusmin, Lorin

 Health Insurance as a New Indicator of Farm Households’ Well-Being  Apr-08
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary

 Agritourism Offers Opportunities For Farm Operators  Feb-08
Author(s): Brown, Dennis & Richard Reeder

 Hog Operations Increasingly Large, More Specialized  Feb-08
Author(s): McBride, William & Nigel Key

 Arts Employment Is Burgeoning in Some Rural Areas  Nov-07
Author(s): Wojan, Tim

 Nearly Half of Sales Come From Million-Dollar Farms  Nov-07
Author(s): Hoppe, Robert & Penelope Korb

 Lowering the Income Cap for Farm Payments Would Affect Few Farms  Sep-07
Author(s): Durst, Ron

 Productivity Drives Growth in U.S. Agriculture  Sep-07
Author(s): Fuglie, Keith

 Income an Incomplete Measure of Farm Household Well-Being  Jun-07
Author(s): Jones, Carol & Ashok Mishra

 Rural Low-Wage Workers Face Multiple Economic Disadvantages  Jun-07
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert & Tim Parker

 American Community Survey Enhances Rural Research  Apr-07
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Nonmetro Manufacturing Counties Regaining Employment  Apr-07
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Designing an Effective Rural Development Strategy  Nov-06
Author(s): Reeder, Richard

 Nonmetro Earnings Lag Metro  Nov-06
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Reclassification of Nonmetro Areas Exaggerates Employment Gap  Nov-06
Author(s): Kusmin, Lorin

 Do Food Industry Mergers and Acquisitions Affect Wages and Employment?  Jun-06
Author(s): Ollinger, Michael

 Who Gets Farm Program Payments?  Jun-06
Author(s): Hoppe, Robert & David Banker

 Home Financing: Rural-Urban Differences  Feb-06
Author(s): Rogers, Carolyn

 Internet on the Range  Feb-06
Author(s): Stenberg, Peter & Mitch Morehart

 Recreation Counties Are the Fastest Growing Nonmetro Counties  Feb-06  This article is a web update
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Low Earnings But Steady Job Growth in Low-Employment Counties  Sep-05
Author(s): Parker, Tim & Robert Gibbs

 Older Women and Poverty in Rural America  Sep-05
Author(s): Rogers, Carolyn

 Most Low Education Counties Are in the Nonmetro South  Jun-05
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Rural America as a Retirement Destination  Jun-05
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Former Welfare Recipients Affect Economic Growth and Wages  Apr-05
Author(s): Hanson, Kenneth & Karen Hamrick

 Population Loss Counties Lack Natural Amenities  Apr-05
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Job Losses Higher in Manufacturing Counties  Feb-05
Author(s): Wojan, Tim

 Nonmetro Labor Markets Remain Soft  Feb-05
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 Nonmetro Counties Vary by Urban Size and Metro Proximity  Nov-04
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 One in Four Rural Households are Housing Stressed  Nov-04
Author(s): Mikesell, James

 Federal Funding for Rural America: Who Gets What?  Sep-04
Author(s): Reeder, Richard & Samuel Calhoun

 Persistent Poverty Is More Pervasive in Nonmetro Counties  Sep-04
Author(s): Jolliffe, Dean

 One in Five Rural Counties Depends on Farming  Jun-04
Author(s): Ghelfi, Linda & David McGranahan

 Responding to Rural Job Loss: The Virginia Example  Jun-04
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 Growth of Hispanics in Rural Workforce  Apr-04
Author(s): Newman, Constance

 Rural Homeownership Rising  Apr-04
Author(s): Mikesell, James

 Booming China Trade Presents New Challenges for Rural America  Feb-04
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Rural America at a Glance  Feb-04
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 Rural Governments Face Public TransportationChallenges and Opportunities  Feb-04
Author(s): Brown, Dennis & Eileen Stommes

 Dimensions of Child Poverty in Rural Areas  Nov-03
Author(s): Rogers, Carolyn

 Growth of Older Population Slows in Rural Areas  Nov-03
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Exploring the Diversity of Rural America Through Interactive Mapping  Sep-03
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Rural College Graduates Make a Comeback  Sep-03
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Low-skill Work Takes a Smaller Share of Rural Employment  Jun-03
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert & Lorin Kusmin

 The Dynamics of Hired Farm Labor  Jun-03
Author(s): Runyan, Jack

 Digital Divide Not to Blame for Rural Earnings Shortfall  Apr-03
Author(s): Kusmin, Lorin

 Nonmetro Black Migration Reverses Trends of Earlier Decades  Apr-03
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Hispanics Find a Home in Rural America  Feb-03
Author(s): Kandel, William & John Cromartie

 Rural Welfare Reform: What Have We Learned?  Feb-03
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie

 The Roots of Rural Population Loss  Feb-03
Author(s): McGranahan, David & Calvin L. Beale

Rural Development and Energy
 International Trade, Biofuel Initiatives Reshaping the Soybean Sector  May-07
Author(s): Ash, Mark & Erik Dohlman

Special Section: Commodity Background Reports
 Peanut Sector Resilient Despite Policy Challenges  Apr-06
Author(s): Dohlman, Erik & Janet Livezey

 Specialized Wheat Farms Earn Less than Other Farms  Apr-06
Author(s): Vocke, Gary & Mir Ali

Farms, Firms and Households
 Farm Operators Turn to Energy-Saving Practices  Apr-08
Author(s): Brown, Dennis, Peter Stenberg & Chris McGath

 Producers Rely on Contracts To Manage Increased Price Risks  Apr-08
Author(s): MacDonald, James M. & Penelope Korb

 2006 Farm Net Cash Income Expected To Decline Slightly  Feb-07
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch & James Johnson

 Green Payments: Can Income and Conservation Payments Be Combined?  Feb-07
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

Farms, Firms, and Households
 Child Health and Well-Being Differ for Metro and Nonmetro Low-Income Households  Nov-08
Author(s): Farrigan, Tracey

 New Payment Limits, Lower Income Cap Unlikely To Have Significant Impact  Nov-08
Author(s): Durst, Ron

 Small Farms Still Important in Broiler Production  Sep-08
Author(s): MacDonald, James M.

 U.S. Organic Handlers Mostly Small, Focus on Fruit and Vegetables  Sep-08
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Lydia Oberholtzer

 A Look at the Economic Well-Being of Farm Households  Jun-08
Author(s): El-Osta, Hisham

 Farm Size Behind Regional Differences in Hog Output and Productivity  Jun-08
Author(s): Key, Nigel & William McBride

 New Tax Laws Benefit Farmers  Apr-05
Author(s): Durst, Ron

 Small Farms Can Grow Into Large Enterprises  Apr-05
Author(s): Newton, Doris

 Farm Income Less Important to Most Corn Farm Households  Feb-05
Author(s): McBride, William

 Farm Profit Recedes From Record High While Cash Margins Improve  Feb-05  This article is a web update
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch & James Johnson

 One Farm, One Operator? Not on the Largest Farms  Feb-05
Author(s): Hoppe, Robert

Special Section: Topics for Today's Agriculture
 A Multitude of Design Decisions Influence Conservation Program Performance  Nov-05
Author(s): Weinberg, Marca & Roger Claassen

 Financial Assistance to Farmers Is Evolving  Nov-05
Author(s): MacDonald, James M.

TOP Gleanings
Current Activities
 ERS Forecasting Retail Food Prices in 2006  Feb-06
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 ERS Supports Pacific Economic Cooperation Council  Feb-06
Author(s): Buzby, Jean

 New Trade Model  Feb-06
Author(s): Stillman, Richard

 Project Management Certifications Awarded  Nov-05
Author(s): Bianchi, Ron

 Research Project Wins Award  Nov-05
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary

 Interagency Group Discusses the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources  Sep-05
Author(s): Day-Rubenstein, Kelly

 U.S. Food Security Measurement Methods Adapted for Use in Other Countries  Sep-05
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 Diverse Labor Force Attracts New Food Processing Plants  Jun-05
Author(s): Schluter, Gerald & David Davis

 ERS Research on Biotech Crops Informs Policies Abroad  Jun-05
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Conservation Reserve Program Signup Options Considered  Apr-05
Author(s): Hellerstein, Daniel

 Examining Southeast Asia's Dynamic Agricultural Markets  Apr-05
Author(s): Dyck, John

 Program of Research on the Economics of Invasive Species Management  Apr-05
Author(s): Osteen, Craig & Donna Roberts

 State Fact Sheets Updated  Apr-05
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 How Is Rural Hispanic Growth Affecting Rural Public Schools?  Feb-05
Author(s): Kandel, William

 How Will New Dietary Guidelines Affect Agriculture?  Feb-05
Author(s): Guthrie, Joanne

 Agricultural Resource Management Survey Promoted on RFD-TV  Nov-04
Author(s): Smith, Katherine

 Baby Boomers Increasingly Move to Rural Areas  Nov-04
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Customized Agricultural Resource Management Survey Data on ERS Website  Nov-04
Author(s): Dubman, Robert

 ERS Awards Grants for Research on the Economics of Invasive Species Management  Nov-04
Author(s): Roberts, Donna & Craig Osteen

 Improvements in Pesticide Data  Nov-04
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Keeping Agricultural Market Access Data Current  Nov-04
Author(s): Wainio, John

 Focusing on Variety  Sep-04
Author(s): Stewart, Hayden

 How Do Mass Marketers Affect Food Prices?  Sep-04
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Is India a Potential Market for U.S. Agriculture?  Sep-04
Author(s): Vollrath, Tom

 One-Stop Shopping for Commodity Data  Sep-04
Author(s): Ericksen, Milton & Joy Harwood

 Studying the Economics of Invasive Species Management  Sep-04
Author(s): Daberkow, Stan

 How Do Households, Sectors, and Countries Adjust to Policy Change?  Jun-04
Author(s): Dohlman, Erik, Jeffrey Hopkins & Stephen Vogel

 Measuring Food Insecurity and Hunger  Jun-04
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 The Role of Homeownership in Wealth Accumulation by Rural Households  Jun-04
Author(s): Mikesell, James

 Collaboration With the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy  Apr-04
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie

 Economic Costs of Camylobacter  Apr-04
Author(s): Frenzen, Paul D.

 Education as a Rural Development Strategy  Apr-04
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Ag Policy Information Reaches a Wider Audience  Feb-04
Author(s): Langley, Suchada

 Allocating Resources to Manage Invasive Species and Pests  Feb-04
Author(s): Smith, Katherine

 Collaboration With the Food and Agriculture Organization  Feb-04
Author(s): Wiebe, Keith

 How Are Changing Preferences Affecting World Food Markets?  Feb-04
Author(s): Regmi, Anita

 Invasive Species Research Program: Request for Proposals  Feb-04  This article is a web update
Author(s): Lewandrowski, Jan

 Changing Patterns of Food Consumption  Nov-03
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan & Christopher Davis

 ERS Awards Grants for Research on the Economics of Invasive Species Management  Nov-03
Author(s): Roberts, Donna & Jan Lewandrowski

 ERS Contributions to Understanding Obesity Recognized  Nov-03
Author(s): Ballenger, Nicole

 Rural Demographic Trends from 2000 Census Data  Nov-03
Author(s): Kandel, William

 A Market for Ideas  Sep-03

 Liberalizing World Trade in Textiles and Apparel  Sep-03
Author(s): MacDonald, Stephen

 Exemptions to Methyl Bromide Ban  Jun-03
Author(s): Osteen, Craig, Carmen Sandretto & Margriet Caswell

 Gauging Farmers’ Responses to New Farm Programs  Jun-03
Author(s): Young, Edwin

 Land Use Change  Jun-03
Author(s): Lubowski, Ruben

 Tracking the History of Food Products  Jun-03
Author(s): Krissoff, Barry

 Are Food Safety and International Trade Compatible?  Apr-03
Author(s): Buzby, Jean

 Environmental Review of Free Trade Agreements  Apr-03
Author(s): Cooper, Joseph & Roy Darwin

 How a Nation’s Income Growth Affects Its Food Consumption Patterns  Apr-03
Author(s): Regmi, Anita

 How Rural Areas Differ  Apr-03
Author(s): Ghelfi, Linda

 The Market for Commodity-Based Agricultural Information  Apr-03
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Can We Protect Against Invasive Species?  Feb-03
Author(s): Shields, Dennis

 Do Changing Retail Markets Mean Higher Food Prices?  Feb-03
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Economics in the Farm Bill Conservation Title?  Feb-03

 Five a Day?  Feb-03
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan

 How Does Fast Food Fare in Urban Areas?  Feb-03
Author(s): Stewart, Hayden

 What Impacts From Diverting Water From Agriculture?  Feb-03
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel

 Why Are Contracts Increasing?  Feb-03
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen

Recent Meetings
 American Time Use Survey Early Results Conference  Feb-06
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 European Union Food Regulations and Standards  Feb-06
Author(s): Elbehri, Aziz

 Roundtable on Food Safety Insurance and Risks  Feb-06
Author(s): Kuchler, Fred

 Global Food Markets  Nov-05
Author(s): Kaufman, Phil

 Impacts of Tobacco Program Elimination  Nov-05
Author(s): Capehart, Tom

 Organic Sector Innovations  Nov-05
Author(s): Greene, Catherine & Lydia Oberholtzer

 Second Annual Taylor Lecture  Nov-05
Author(s): Offutt, Susan

 Bridging the Gap—1890 and 1862 Land Grant Institutions  Sep-05
Author(s): Davis, Christopher & Keithly Jones

 Farm Policy and Rural Economies  Sep-05
Author(s): Kuhn, Betsey

 Globalization and Restructuring in Rural America  Sep-05
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 Policy and Competition in a Changing Global Food Industry  Jun-05
Author(s): Regmi, Anita

 Rapid Spread of Supermarkets Changing the Pacific Rim Food System  Jun-05
Author(s): Coyle, William

 Agricultural Trade Policy Modeling Workshop  Feb-05
Author(s): Stout, Jim

 Allied Social Science Association Meetings  Feb-05

 Community Colleges and Creative Economies  Feb-05
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie

 Food and Nutrition Research Small Grants Conference  Feb-05
Author(s): Stommes, Eileen

 Future of Our Food & Farms Summit  Feb-05
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary & Doris Newton

 Professional Agricultural Workers Conference  Feb-05
Author(s): Calhoun, Samuel

 USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum  Feb-05
Author(s): Roberts, Donna

 USDA Biotechnology Conference in North Africa  Feb-05
Author(s): King, John

 A New ERS Lecture Series  Nov-04
Author(s): Offutt, Susan

 Decoupled Payments and Farm Sector Models  Nov-04
Author(s): Normile, Mary Anne & Paul C. Westcott

 Demand for Grain-Based Foods  Nov-04
Author(s): Buzby, Jean

 Annual Meeting of Agricultural Economists  Sep-04

 Conservation Reserve Program: Planting for the Future  Sep-04
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc

 How Can Time-Use Data Be Used?  Sep-04
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 Integration of the Food Supply Chain  Sep-04
Author(s): Kaufman, Phil

 Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting  Sep-04
Author(s): Whitener, Leslie

 Agricultural Risks in a Water-Short World  Jun-04
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel

 Annual Meeting of Geographers  Jun-04

 Assessing the Measurement of Food Consumption  Jun-04
Author(s): Ballenger, Nicole

 Integration of North American Agriculture  Jun-04
Author(s): Zahniser, Steven

 Research Presentations on Ag Biotech Topics  Jun-04
Author(s): Heisey, Paul & Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo

 American Association for the Advancement of Science  Apr-04
Author(s): Golan, Elise

 Annual Meeting of Regional Economics  Apr-04
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Southern Agricultural Economics Association  Apr-04
Author(s): Jones, Keithly

 Annual Meetings of Social Scientists  Feb-04

 Food Consumption Data Under Review  Feb-04
Author(s): Ballenger, Nicole

 Improving Efficiency of Farmland Preservation Programs  Feb-04
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary

 New State-Level Estimates From ARMS  Feb-04
Author(s): Johnson, James

 Population Change in Rural America  Feb-04
Author(s): Kandel, William

 Economic Measurement, Methodology, and Policy  Nov-03
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 How Does the Public Value Farmland?  Nov-03
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary

 Keeping Up With Data Developments  Nov-03
Author(s): Perry, Janet & Lewrene Glaser

 New State-Level Estimates from ARMS  Nov-03
Author(s): Johnson, James

 Competing Policy Issues and Agendas for Agricultural Trade  Sep-03
Author(s): Langley, Suchada

 ERS Hosts Water Resources Research Coordinating Committee  Sep-03
Author(s): Jones, Carol

 Workshop on Farm Savings Accounts and the Farm Safety Net  Sep-03
Author(s): Durst, Ron

 Agricultural Trade and Policy Reform  Jun-03
Author(s): Bohman, Mary

 Effects of Invasive Species on U.S. Agriculture  Jun-03
Author(s): Vasavada, Utpal

 Keeping Up with Obesity Research  Jun-03
Author(s): Variyam, Jayachandran

 Uses of Retail Scanner Data  Jun-03
Author(s): Davis, David

 Education and Local Economic Development  Apr-03
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 ERS Hosts Meeting on Organic Sector Data  Apr-03
Author(s): Vasavada, Utpal

 Performance-Based Environmental Policies  Apr-03
Author(s): Heimlich, Ralph

 High-Value Foods  Feb-03
Author(s): Regmi, Anita

 Issues in Food Assistance  Feb-03
Author(s): Prell, Mark

 Understanding Market Segmentation  Feb-03
Author(s): Elbehri, Aziz

New Releases
 Hispanics in Rural America  Feb-06
Author(s): Kandel, William

 New ERS Briefing Room on Farm Household Well-being  Feb-06
Author(s): Mishra, Ashok

 Research Program on Invasive Species  Feb-06
Author(s): Osteen, Craig & Donna Roberts

 Animal Agriculture Affects Air and Water Quality  Nov-05
Author(s): Ribaudo, Marc

 Commodity Background Reports  Nov-05
Author(s): Dohlman, Erik & Linwood Hoffman

 Current Indicators on Rural America  Nov-05
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 Feed Grains Database Redesigned  Nov-05
Author(s): Baker, Allen

 Commodity Markets and Trade  Sep-05
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Comprehensive China Database  Sep-05
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Conservation on Working Lands  Sep-05  This article is a web update
Author(s): Claassen, Roger & Robert Johansson

 Many Factors Influence Overweight and Obesity  Sep-05
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan

 New Environmental Quality Incentives Program Data  Sep-05
Author(s): Johansson, Robert

 On the Shoulders of Giants  Sep-05
Author(s): McDonald, Thomas

 A Redesigned Data Portal  Jun-05

 Agricultural Trade and the Environment  Jun-05
Author(s): Cooper, Joseph

 China’s Agricultural Imports Rising  Jun-05
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Commodity Markets and Trade  Jun-05
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Commuting Codes Updated  Jun-05
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Many Forces Reshaping Global Textile and Cotton Markets  Jun-05
Author(s): MacDonald, Stephen & Tom Vollrath

 North American Agricultural Policies Compared  Jun-05
Author(s): Zahniser, Steven

 Rural America’s Children  Jun-05
Author(s): Rogers, Carolyn

 Aggregate Food Expenditures  Apr-05
Author(s): Reed, Al

 Chesapeake Bay Regional Model Documented  Apr-05
Author(s): Aillery, Marcel & Noel Gollehon

 Commodity Markets and Trade  Apr-05
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Competitiveness of Food Manufacturers and Retailers  Apr-05
Author(s): Kaufman, Phil

 Education and Rural Communities  Apr-05
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Family Farms Come in All Sizes  Apr-05
Author(s): Banker, David

 Trade and Rural Areas  Apr-05
Author(s): Schluter, Gerald

 Agriculture in the WTO  Feb-05
Author(s): Bohman, Mary

 Effects of USDA's Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs on Nutrition and Health  Feb-05
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan

 Redesigned Food Consumption Data System  Feb-05
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Hodan Farah

 Technology Adoption Updates from ARMS  Feb-05
Author(s): Daberkow, Stan & James Payne

 Farm Income Estimates and Forecasts  Nov-04
Author(s): Strickland, Roger

 Ownership and Classification of Agbiotech Patents  Nov-04
Author(s): King, John & Paul Heisey

 Effects of Animal Diseases on Trade  Sep-04
Author(s): Leuck, Dale

 Paying for Fruits and Vegetables  Sep-04
Author(s): Reed, Jane

 China Commodity Markets  Jun-04
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 How Rural Areas Differ: The New ERS County Typology  Jun-04
Author(s): Ghelfi, Linda

 Characteristics and Production Costs  Apr-04
Author(s): Short, Sara & Janet Livezey

 Coping With Risk in Agriculture  Apr-04
Author(s): Roberts, Michael

 Land Degredation and Agricultural Productivity  Apr-04
Author(s): Wiebe, Keith

 Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators Database and Mapping Tool  Feb-04
Author(s): Quinby, William

 Education in Rural Areas  Feb-04
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 More Information on Production Practices  Feb-04
Author(s): Payne, James & C.S. Kim

 2003 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes Released  Nov-03
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Benchmark Data on Plant Breeding  Nov-03
Author(s): Heisey, Paul

 China’s Trade as a First-Year World Trade Organization Member  Nov-03
Author(s): Gale, Fred

 Easier Access to More Data  Nov-03

 Emergency Food Assistance  Nov-03
Author(s): Tiehen, Laura

 Food Stamps Reduce the Depth and Severity of Child Poverty  Nov-03
Author(s): Jolliffe, Dean

 Policy Change Affects Cranberry Plantings  Nov-03
Author(s): Perez, Agnes

 U.S. Farmers’ Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops  Nov-03
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Analyzing Fertilizer Trade  Sep-03
Author(s): Huang, Wen

 Commodity Markets and Trade  Sep-03
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Contracting Takes Over Flue-Cured Tobacco Sales  Sep-03
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn

 Low-Income Households Spend Less on Food  Sep-03
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Research on Child Nutrition  Sep-03
Author(s): Guthrie, Joanne

 Sugar Increasingly Enters U.S. in Imported Products  Sep-03
Author(s): Haley, Steve

 Tracking Livestock Shipments  Sep-03
Author(s): Mathews, Ken

 USDA Food Assistance Programs in 2003: How Are We Doing?  Sep-03
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor

 Commodity Markets and Trade  Jun-03
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Feeding Children When School Is Out  Jun-03
Author(s): Allshouse, Jane

 Fruit and Vegetable Snacks in Schools  Jun-03
Author(s): Buzby, Jean

 Organic Farming Expands  Jun-03
Author(s): Greene, Catherine

 China’s Water Policies: Effects on Production and Trade  Apr-03
Author(s): Lohmar, Bryan

 Commodity Markets and Trade  Apr-03
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Competing in the 21st Century  Apr-03

 Demand for Farm Credit Expands, But Farm Lenders Remain Cautious  Apr-03
Author(s): Stam, Jerome

 Future Food Consumption  Apr-03
Author(s): Lin, Biing-Hwan

 Future Food Expenditures  Apr-03
Author(s): Blisard, Noel

 Race and Ethnicity in Rural Areas  Apr-03
Author(s): Kandel, William

 U.S. Organic Farming Small, But Growing  Apr-03
Author(s): Greene, Catherine

 Understanding Rural Population Loss and Growth  Apr-03
Author(s): Rogers, Carolyn

 A Close Look at WIC  Feb-03
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor

 Biotech Adoption Is Rapid, But Results Vary  Feb-03
Author(s): Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge

 Commodity Markets and Trade  Feb-03
Author(s): Harwood, Joy

 Computer Use and Earnings  Feb-03
Author(s): Kusmin, Lorin

 Examining Exchange Rates  Feb-03
Author(s): Langley, Suchada

 Production Costs and Returns Updated with ARMS Surveys  Feb-03
Author(s): McBride, William

 Rural America, Briefly  Feb-03
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen

 The State of Hired Farmworkers  Feb-03
Author(s): Runyan, Jack

 Vertical Coordination  Feb-03
Author(s): Martinez, Stephen

 Weighing In on Obesity  Feb-03
Author(s): Morrison, Rosanna

TOP Data Feature
 Severity and Concentration of Persistent High Poverty in Nonmetro Areas  Feb-06
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L. & Robert Gibbs

 How Much Time Do Americans Spend Preparing and Eating Food?  Nov-05
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen & Kristina J. Shelley

 Composite Measure of Economic Well-Being  Sep-05
Author(s): El-Osta, Hisham, Ashok Mishra & Mitch Morehart

 Milestones in U.S. Farming and Farm Policy  Jun-05
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Anne Effland

 Measuring U.S. Household Food Security  Apr-05
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 Growing Farm Size and the Distribution of Commodity Program Payments  Feb-05
Author(s): McDonald, James, Robert Hoppe & David Banker

 Profiles of America: Demographic Data and Graphic Builder  Nov-04
Author(s): Hession, John C.

 The Changing World Network of Trade in Textiles and Apparel  Sep-04
Author(s): Vollrath, Tom, Mark Gehlhar & Stephen MacDonald

 ARMS Data Offer New Perspectives on Cropping Practices  Jun-04
Author(s): Kim, C.S. & William Quinby

 Using the 2003 Urban Influence Codes To Understand Rural America  Apr-04
Author(s): Parker, Tim & Linda Ghelfi

 Economics of the Food and Fiber System  Feb-04
Author(s): Edmondson, William

 Ag Biotech Patents: Who is Doing What?  Nov-03
Author(s): King, John & Paul Heisey

 New Insights on Metro and Nonmetro Areas  Sep-03
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Trends in U.S. Per Capita Milk and Cheese Consumption, 1909 to 2000  Jun-03
Author(s): Putnam, Judith & Jane Allshouse

 Retail Meat Scanner Data  Apr-03
Author(s): Perry, Janet & Leland Southard

 ARMS Data Highlight Trends in Cropping Practices  Feb-03
Author(s): Kim, C.S. & William Quinby

TOP Indicators
 Changing nonmetro definitions affect population counts  Feb-06
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Indicators February-06  Feb-06

 Marketing Costs and Margins in International Trade  Feb-06
Author(s): Krissoff, Barry & Maurice R. Landes

 Nonmetro net migration rates  Feb-06
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Farm Household Income  Nov-05
Author(s): Mishra, Ashok

 Indicators November-05  Nov-05

 Nonmetro unemployment improves slightly in 2004  Nov-05
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Rural-Urban Commuting Areas  Nov-05
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Another look at farm poverty  Sep-05
Author(s): Offutt, Susan

 Certified organic handling facilities concentrated on Pacific Coast  Sep-05
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Lydia Oberholtzer

 Estimating the Raw-Fiber Equivalent of U.S. Cotton Textile and Apparel Imports  Sep-05
Author(s): Meyer, Leslie A.

 Indicators September-05  Sep-05

 Average farm size grows most rapidly in Mountain States  Jun-05
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Anne Effland

 Farm population as a share of total U.S. population  Jun-05
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Anne Effland

 Indicators June-05  Jun-05

 Population Interaction Zones for Agriculture  Jun-05
Author(s): Barnard, Charles

 Drought is a recurring risk faced by agricultural producers  Apr-05
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel & Shawn Bucholtz

 Drought triggers crop insurance indemnity payments... in some areas  Apr-05
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel & Shawn Bucholtz

 Indicators April-05  Apr-05

 Natural Ammenities Scale  Apr-05
Author(s): McGranahan, David

 Indicators February-05  Feb-05

 Measuring America's Cheese Consumption  Feb-05
Author(s): Miller, Jim

 Nutrition Education Funding for Food Stamp Participants Rises Sharply  Feb-05
Author(s): Stommes, Eileen

 USDA Food Assistance Expenditures Rising  Feb-05
Author(s): Oliveira, Victor

 Canadian pork exports surge when Canadian dollar is weak relative to U.S. dollar  Nov-04
Author(s): Leuck, Dale

 Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollments shift geographically  Nov-04
Author(s): Bucholtz, Shawn

 Estimating U.S. Cropland Area  Nov-04
Author(s): Vesterby, Marlow & Kenneth S. Krupa

 Indicators November-04  Nov-04

 Estimating Food Access and Food Gaps in Low-Income Countries  Sep-04
Author(s): Meade, Birgit & Stacey Rosen

 Indicators September-04  Sep-04

 Milk production shifts West  Sep-04
Author(s): Blayney, Don

 Nonmetro Educational Attainment  Sep-04
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Indicators June-04  Jun-04

 Meat Price Spreads  Jun-04
Author(s): Hahn, William

 Social Security Retirement Payments  Jun-04
Author(s): Reeder, Richard

 Wetland Losses  Jun-04
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Consumption of Carbonated Soft Drinks  Apr-04
Author(s): Allshouse, Jane

 Developing a County-level Measure of Urban Influence  Apr-04
Author(s): Ghelfi, Linda & Tim Parker

 Indicators April-04  Apr-04

 Nonmetro Population Change, 1990-2000  Apr-04
Author(s): Kassel, Kathleen

 Agricultural Land in India  Feb-04
Author(s): Wiebe, Keith

 Calculating the Food Marketing Bill  Feb-04
Author(s): Elitzak, Howard

 Indicators February-04  Feb-04

 Estimating Export Share of U.S. Agricultural Production  Nov-03
Author(s): Jerardo, Alberto

 Indicators November-03  Nov-03

 Obesity Rates  Nov-03
Author(s): Variyam, Jayachandran

 U.S. Cropland  Nov-03
Author(s): Vesterby, Marlow

 Defining Rural Areas Based on New County Classifications  Sep-03
Author(s): Cromartie, John

 Farm Employment  Sep-03
Author(s): Torgerson, David

 Geographic Distribution of Government Payments as a Proportion of Gross Cash Income From Farming  Sep-03
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch

 Indicators September-03  Sep-03

 Growth in Postwar Agriculture: The Key Role of Productivity  Jun-03
Author(s): Ball, Eldon

 Indicators June-03  Jun-03

 Estimating Consumption of Caloric Sweeteners  Apr-03
Author(s): Putnam, Judith & Steve Haley

 Indicators April-03  Apr-03

 Indicators February-03  Feb-03

TOP Statistics
Data Feature
 2008 Farm Act: Where Will the Money Go?  Nov-08
Author(s): Young, Edwin, Victor Oliveira & Roger Claassen

 Productivity Growth Drives Expanded Agricultural Production  Sep-08
Author(s): Kassel, Kathleen, James M. MacDonald & Sun Ling Wang

 How Much Time Do Americans Spend Eating?  Jun-08
Author(s): Hamrick, Karen, David Hopkins & McClelland Ket

 Phytosanitary Regulations Shape Fruit and Vegetable Trade Patterns  Apr-08
Author(s): Romberg, Megan & Donna Roberts

 What Share of U.S. Consumed Food Is Imported?  Feb-08
Author(s): Jerardo, Alberto

 Measures of Trends in Farm Size Tell Differing Stories  Nov-07
Author(s): Key, Nigel & Michael Roberts

 Data Track the Expansion of International and U.S. Organic Farming  Sep-07
Author(s): Greene, Catherine

 ERS Food Availability Data Look at Consumption in Three Ways  Jun-07
Author(s): Wells, Hodan Farah & Jean Buzby

 ARMS Data Allow Comparisons Across Diverse Farm Types  Apr-07
Author(s): Livezey, Janet & Mir Ali

 Livestock and Meat Trade: A Look at the Effects of BSE  Feb-07
Author(s): Vandeveer, Monte

 Revised Market Basket Statistics Reflect Consumers' Changing Produce Purchases  Nov-06
Author(s): Stewart, Hayden

 More Women Turning to Horse Farming  Sep-06
Author(s): Offutt, Susan & Penelope Korb

 ARMS Data Highlights Trends in Cropping Practices  Jul-06
Author(s): Kim, C.S., William Quinby & James Payne

 A Web-Based Tool for Calculating the Cost of Foodborne Illness  Jun-06
Author(s): Frenzen, Paul D.

 China’s Rising Profile in the Global Market for Fruits and Vegetables  Apr-06
Author(s): Huang, Sophia Wu

Indicators
 Food Stamp Participation up in All but Three State  Nov-08
Author(s): Young, John & Margaret Andrews

 How Much Does Participation in the Food Stamp Program Reflect Economic Trends?  Nov-08
Author(s): Andrews, Margaret

 Indicators November-08  Nov-08

 Research Areas  Nov-08

 Agricultural Productivity Grew in Every State  Sep-08
Author(s): Ball, Eldon

 Growth in Agricultural Productivity Limits Price Increases  Sep-08
Author(s): Kassel, Kathleen & James M. MacDonald

 Indicators September-08  Sep-08

 Research Areas  Sep-08

 Indicators June-08  Jun-08

 Nonmetro poverty is more concentrated in the South and Southwest  Jun-08
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Nonmetro poverty rates higher than metro  Jun-08
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Research Areas  Jun-08

 Availability of U.S. carrots hit a high in 1997  Apr-08
Author(s): Lucier, Gary

 Indicators April-08  Apr-08

 Research Areas  Apr-08

 Share of nonelderly with no health insurance varies considerably among States  Apr-08
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Did you Know?  Feb-08

 Farm Operators No Longer Have Lower Levels of Educational Attainment  Feb-08
Author(s): Ahearn, Mary

 Indicators February-08  Feb-08

 Research Areas  Feb-08

 Retail Food Prices Vary Significantly Across U.S. Region  Feb-08
Author(s): Leibtag, Ephraim

 Did you Know?  Nov-07

 Greenhouse and Nursery Industry Cash Receipts Growing Rapidly  Nov-07
Author(s): Strickland, Roger

 Greenhouse and Nursery Production Concentrated in Warmer States  Nov-07
Author(s): Strickland, Roger

 Indicators November-07  Nov-07

 Research Areas  Nov-07

 Indicators September-07  Sep-07

 Many Counties Have Both Outmigration and Natural Decline  Sep-07
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Pace and Sources of Nonmetro Population Growth Changing  Sep-07
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Research Areas  Sep-07

 Household Food Insecurity Varies by State  Jun-07
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 Indicators June-07  Jun-07

 Research Areas  Jun-07

 Romaine, Leaf Lettuce, and Spinach Rise in Popularity  Jun-07
Author(s): Wells, Hodan Farah & Jean Buzby

 Indicators May-07  May-07

 Fruit Availability on the Rise  Apr-07
Author(s): Wells, Hodan Farah & Jean Buzby

 Indicators April-07  Apr-07

 Research Areas  Apr-07

 The value of direct payments depends on historical production and local yields  Apr-07
Author(s): Young, Edwin

 EQIP funds vary by ERS Region  Feb-07
Author(s): Nickerson, Cynthia

 Indicators February-07  Feb-07

 Measuring the Importance of Trade to U.S. Agriculture  Feb-07
Author(s): Jerardo, Alberto

 Per capita government transfer payments to individuals are rising faster in nonmetro areas than in metro areas  Feb-07
Author(s): Parker, Tim

 Research Areas  Feb-07

 Indicators November-06  Nov-06

 Irrigated acreage has expanded across the Nation over the decades  Nov-06
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel

 Irrigation is a growing production technology  Nov-06
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel

 Measuring Nonmetro-Metro Difference in Poverty Rates  Nov-06
Author(s): Gibbs, Robert

 Research Areas  Nov-06

 Indicators September-06  Sep-06

 Participation in USDA’s Food Stamp Program varies by State  Sep-06
Author(s): Kantor, Linda Scott

 Research Areas  Sep-06

 Share of income spent on food continues to decline  Sep-06
Author(s): Clauson, Annette

 WTO Trade Policy Commitments Database  Sep-06
Author(s): Normile, Mary Anne

 Conservation compliance effectiveness depends on where the money goes  Jul-06
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Cropland Use  Jul-06

 Estimating U.S. Cropland Area  Jul-06
Author(s): Vesterby, Marlow, Kenneth S. Krupa & Ruben Lubowski

 Geographic distribution of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is stable  Jul-06
Author(s): Bucholtz, Shawn

 Wetland losses  Jul-06
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 ERS Food Availability Data Under Revision  Jun-06  This article is a web update
Author(s): Buzby, Jean & Janet Perry

 Government Payments and Their Share of Gross Cash Farm Income, 1933-2003  Jun-06
Author(s): Hoppe, Robert & David Banker

 Indicators June-06  Jun-06

 Measuring Agriculture's Contribution to Gross Domestic Product  Jun-06
Author(s): Sundell, Paul

 Measuring Potential Environmental Benefits in the CRP  Jun-06
Author(s): Nickerson, Cynthia

 Nonmetro county population change, 2005; Half grew, half declined  Jun-06
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

 Research Areas  Jun-06

 Conservation compliance effectiveness depends on where the money goes  Apr-06
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Indicators April-06  Apr-06

 Research Areas  Apr-06

 USDA conservation spending on working agricultural lands bucks long-term trend  Apr-06
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

Commodity Programs and Policy
 Drought is a recurring risk faced by agricultural producers — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Gollehon, Noel & Shawn Bucholtz

 Geographic Distribution of Government Payments — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Morehart, Mitch

Conservation
 Conservation compliance effectiveness depends on where the money goes  May-07
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

 Wetland losses  May-07
Author(s): Claassen, Roger

Food and Nutrition
 Fewer households had difficulty putting enough food on the table in 2005  May-07
Author(s): Nord, Mark

 Fruit and vegetable availability up 20 percent since 1970  May-07
Author(s): Wells, Hodan Farah & Jean Buzby

 Participation in USDA’s Food Stamp Program varies by State  May-07
Author(s): Kantor, Linda Scott

Rural Development and Energy
 Farm output is up but energy intensity is downn the Long Run — Updated  May-07
Author(s): Shoemaker, Robbin

 Farm population as a share of total U.S. population  May-07
Author(s): Dimitri, Carolyn & Anne Effland

 Nonmetro county population change, 2000-05: Half grew, half declined  May-07
Author(s): Beale, Calvin L.

TOP Additional Readings
 Additional Readings  May-07

TOP Profiles
 ERS Summer Interns  Feb-06
Each summer, hundreds of college and graduate students from all over the country descend upon Washington, DC, to observe policymaking from the vantage point of an internship. The benefits to the interns are clear: access to the government’s inner workings and key players and opportunities to contribute to the formation, analysis, and operation of policy.

 Jim Blaylock  Nov-05

 Ron Durst  Nov-05

 Amber Waves Awards  Sep-05
Each year, the Amber Waves Editorial Board and an external committee of distinguished judges select the best articles—features, findings, data feature, and indicator item—of the year. The 2004 honorees received their awards at a ceremony in April, along with the winners of the inaugural Helios Awards (see Amber Waves, June 2005, Volume 3, Issue 3). ERS congratulates the winners and the many other ERS staffers who supported these award-winning articles.

 HELIOS Awards -- 2005  Jun-05
The Helios Awards are designed to recognize excellent achievements in three major areas: Research and Policy Contribution, Communication Excellence, and Program Effectiveness. These new ERS awards are given at the agency level, not by organizational unit or subject area. Thus, the awards highlight not only the breadth of the ERS research program, but also the diversity of communication tools through which ERS disseminates research results. Distinguished judges from outside ERS reviewed the nominations and made the final decisions. The winning teams, shown here, received their awards at a special ceremony in April. ERS congratulates the winners and the many other ERS staffers who supported these award- winning projects.

 Kathy Augustine  Apr-05
As Acting Chief of the Information Technology (IT) Services Branch in ERS’s Information Services Division, Kathy Augustine wears many hats, serving as the manager of the agency’s IT infrastructure, as well as performing network administration tasks and responding to Help Desk requests from ERS employees. Her focus on technology improvements has allowed the agency to upgrade its network operating system to the most secure and responsive version of Windows with minimal disruption to ERS staff.

 Leslie A. Whitener  Apr-05
Seven decades of experience with commodity-based farm programs tells us that they have effects far beyond the farm, with implications for rural businesses, residents, and communities. The link between agricultural policy and rural economies is Leslie Whitener’s latest pursuit in a career devoted to the study of rural economic and policy issues. In an upcoming conference sponsored jointly by ERS and the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, Leslie is assembling researchers and policy analysts to stimulate new thinking about the changing role of farm and rural policy. Leslie notes that "a clear understanding of policy objectives and intended beneficiaries must be the starting point for discussions of future policy well in advance of the next farm bill."

 ERS China Team  Feb-05
U.S. agriculture has a deep interest in China, the world's fastest-growing economy and largest producer and consumer of a wide range of commodities. Economic developments and policy changes in China often spill over into world markets, affecting prices and export opportunities for U.S. farmers. This ripple effect makes it increasingly important to understand the impact of changing policies, market institutions, and trends in consumer demand in China.

 Jayachandran N. Variyam  Feb-05
It's relatively recently that economists have turned their attention to the widespread phenomenon of obesity among Americans. ERS senior economist Jay Variyam has tackled the issue head- on with the tools of his trade, mining voluminous data sets from USDA and other government sources to shed light on the reasons for consumers' dietary choices. He has, for example, looked at the role of nutrition knowledge in the quality of adult and child diets. "The nature of this relationship," asserts Jay, "is a key question for policymakers designing nutrition education programs." Among Jay's findings: mothers' knowledge of nutrition has a positive effect on the quality of preschoolers' diets, but less so on nutritional intake among older children.

 Donna Roberts  Nov-04
Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations moved to the fore of trade policy debates in the 1990s as a result of a 1995 World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement that set out new science-based rules to dissuade countries from using animal, plant, or human health measures as barriers to trade. Compliance with these new rules required changes to a number of countries’ SPS regulations, which led Donna Roberts, a senior ERS economist, to study the effects of the changes on producers, consumers, and trade. Through her early efforts, which included an analysis of rescinding the U.S. ban on imported Mexican avocados, she encountered significant analytical challenges. “Both the conceptual foundation and empirical methods for analyzing regulatory barriers to trade required further development,” says Donna. For example, the avocado analysis required integrating a risk assessment with a standard trade model in order to gauge the effect of relaxing the U.S. ban under different pest infestation scenarios. Moreover, lack of data required her analysis to proceed on a case-by-case basis, rather than a more comprehensive approach.

 Jim McDonald  Nov-04
Jim MacDonald views his current position at ERS as chief of the Agricultural Structure and Productivity Branch as an extension of his long- held interest in the organization of agribusiness and its impacts on farmers and consumers. With production in U.S. agriculture shifting toward large family farms, Jim and his colleagues are exploring the changing relationships between farmers and their buyers, including the increasing reliance on contracts. In hog production, for example, producers commonly enter contracts stipulating producer tasks and compensation formulas for raising hogs before commencing production. The questions raised by these contractual relationships are explored in Contracts, Markets, and Prices: Organizing the Production and Use of Agricultural Commodities (AER-837).

 Margriet Caswell  Sep-04
Margriet Caswell drafted a USDA report, 21st Century Agriculture: A Critical Role for Science and Technology, in which she framed the key issues for discussion at last year's conference, International Ministerial Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology, held in Sacramento, California.

 Market Analysis Program Innovators Team  Sep-04
In cooperation with the World Agricultural Outlook Board, ERS’s Market Analysis Program Innovators Team created a program that meets user needs through web-focused distribution, customer- friendly materials, and targeted coverage of global food and agriculture product markets.

 Mitch Morehart  Sep-04
Mitch Morehart has been a key contributor in the design and use of USDA’s Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) to address the financial status of farms and the economic position of farm households.

 Security Analysis System for U.S. Agriculture  Sep-04
ERS’s Security Analysis System for U.S. Agriculture (SAS-USA) team created a unique system to quantitatively assess agriculture/food emergencies in response to increased risks to the Nation’s agriculture and food supply due to bioterrorism. The team established a framework to systematically tie all food supply processes from farm production, food manufacturing, and distribution of food products to food consumption in every region of the country.

 USDA Animal Waste Management Team  Sep-04
The Animal Waste Management Team, consisting of experts from three USDA agencies, conducted innovative and timely analysis of the economic and policy options associated with animal waste management. Co-led by representatives from ERS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the team’s analysis informed the design of landmark USDA programs and Environmental Protection Agency regulations to protect water resources from nutrients contained in animal waste.

 USDA Food Security Measurement Team  Sep-04
USDA’s Food Security Measurement Team, with members from ERS and the Food and Nutrition Service, spearheaded the effort to develop, assess, and improve household food security measures. Food security—consistent access to enough food for active, healthy living—is one of several necessary conditions for a population to be healthy and well nourished.

 County Typology Team  Jun-04
How can policymakers help attract residents to rural areas that have rapidly declining populations? What is the relationship between high poverty rates and population density or proximity to urban areas? Is the workforce in some remote rural areas less educated because teens are dropping out of school or because the more highly educated are leaving for better opportunities elsewhere? The analytical foundation for answering these questions is the ERS County Typology.
Author(s): McDonald, Thomas

 The Traceability Team  Apr-04
The confirmation in December 2003 of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) in the United States thrust traceability to the forefront of the public consciousness.

 Geographic Information System Analysis Team  Feb-04
Geographic Information System (GIS) software is a revolutionary technology that links geographic information with descriptive information and provides a wide array of spatial modeling capabilities.

 Bob Green  Nov-03
Bob Green tends to the farm household income estimates and forecasts.

 Jim Johnson & Farm Sector Performance and Well-Being Branch  Nov-03
Jim Johnson is chief of the Farm Sector Performance and Well-Being Branch.

 Mitch Moreheart  Nov-03
Mitch Morehart develops financial indicators that focus specifically on the performance of farm businesses. producing significant research on land values issues.

 Roger Strickland  Nov-03
Roger Strickland has for many years overseen the issuance of estimates and forecasts for farm sector income.

 Charles Barnard  Sep-03
Charles Barnard was recently recognized as USDA Economist of the Year by the USDA Economists Group for his outstanding leadership in producing significant research on land values issues.

 Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program  Sep-03
Legislative changes made to USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program as part of the landmark 1996 welfare reform act have succeeded in focusing the benefits of this program on the intended recipients.

 Marc Ribaudo  Sep-03
Last month, the American Agricultural Economics Association recognized Marc Ribaudo with its Distinguished Policy Contribution Award.

 Calvin Beale  Jun-03
This year, the Office of Management and Budget announces a revised definition of U.S. metropolitan areas—a key concept that shapes the reporting of Federal statistical data (notably the Census) and the funding of government programs.

 Farm Bill Analysis Team  Jun-03
The new Farm Bill was just 9 days old when the Economic Research Service posted a unique resource on the web, comparing key provisions of old and new legislation in a side-by-side format, for each of the bill’s 11 titles.

 Francis Joseph Marschner  Jun-03
These days we are used to seeing land use imagery from space, with computers receiving and collating billions of bits of data from satellites in a single pass over the continent.

 Global Food Security Team  Jun-03
At the World Food Summit in 1996, leaders from across the globe set a goal of halving world hunger by 2015.

 Global Consumer Markets Team  Apr-03
Recognizing the need to meld the expertise of many people in order to address the research questions related to global food markets comprehensively, Mark and Anita are now leading a newly formed research team.

 Mark Gehlhar & Anita Regmi  Apr-03
Changing consumer preferences are driving changes in the way food is produced, marketed, and traded. With world economies growing more integrated and both capital and technology moving more freely across national boundaries, the welfare of U.S. food producers is increasingly tied to foreign consumers. That's where ERS's Mark Gehlhar and Anita Regmi come in.

 Calvin Beale  Feb-03
If demography is destiny, as some historians would argue, then Calvin Beale, Senior Demographer at ERS, has had a strong hand in tracking the destiny of late-20th-century rural America.

 Michael Roberts and Nigel Key  Feb-03
Michael Roberts and Nigel Key joined ERS a couple of years ago and have already received national professional recognition for their work in agricultural and resource economics.


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