Need a quick fact? Below are answers to questions we receive
from policymakers, agribusiness, other researchers, and the
media about food and diet, farming, conservation, and rural
communities. Follow the links for more details.
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Q: Which are the top 10
agricultural producing States?
A: The top 10 agricultural producing States, in terms of cash receipts are (in descending order): California, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Indiana. These and related statistics can be found among ERS’s Farm Income Data (scroll down to "Other Tables With Rankings").
Q: What are the leading farm commodities
in the United States, in terms of cash receipts?
A: Cattle and calf producers earned the largest receipts, followed by producers of dairy products, corn, broilers, and soybeans. These and related statistics can be found among ERS’s Farm Income Data (see "Leading Commodities by State, 2007").
Q: Are family farms
disappearing?
A: No. In fact, family farms
have accounted for a large majority of farm numbers
and agricultural sales since the 1970s. But as production
shifts to larger farms, family-owned farm businesses
often become incorporated. Family corporations (having
more than half the voting stock held by individuals
related by blood or marriage) account for about
a fifth of farm sales.
Q: How does farm
household income compare with the income of other U.S. households?
A: Since the mid-1990s, the income of
the average farm household has surpassed that of nonfarm households,
and farm household income today derives from a number of income
sources. The financial well-being of farm households today depends
less on the income from the farm business and more on the availability
of remunerative off-farm employment.
Q: Which States have
the largest number of food processing plants?
A: California has the largest number of food manufacturing plants, followed by New York and Texas (see text under second pie chart).
Q: How does
U.S. beef consumption today compare with consumption in the 1970s?
A: Americans are consuming less beef per capita than
in the 1970s, or in the 1980s. We’re also, per capita, consuming
more food overall. The ERS Food
Consumption (per capita) Data System provides data on the wide
variety of foods in the American diet, and explains how the data
are derived.
Q: How prevalent is hunger
in the United States?
A: Resource-constrained hunger refers to
a potential consequence of food insecurity that,
because of prolonged, involuntary lack of food,
results in discomfort, illness, weakness, or pain
that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation. While
USDA’s measurement
of food insecurity provides some information
about the economic and social contexts that may
lead to hunger, it does not measure hunger or the
number of hungry people.
In 2007, 89 percent of U.S. households were food secure; i.e., they had consistent access to enough food for active healthy lives. The remaining households (11.1 percent) were food insecure at least some time during the year, about the same rate as 2006 (10.9 percent). The prevalence of very low food security, with food intake of some members reduced and normal eating patterns disrupted at times during the year because of food insecurity, was essentially unchanged from 2006, at 4.1 percent of households.
Q: What are the
main reasons that eligible households don't apply for food stamps?
A: According to ERS
research, most households that are eligible but don’t
participate in the Food Stamp Program said they would apply for
benefits if they were sure they were eligible. However, about a
quarter of the eligible households not participating reported that
they would not apply in any case, mainly because of a desire for
personal independence.
Q: What is the value
of U.S. agricultural exports and U.S. agricultural
imports?
A: U.S. agriculture enjoys a trade surplus, with the
value of exports exceeding imports. The level of the surplus has
changed over time, with increasing agricultural imports. ERS publishes
monthly trade updates.
Q: How important are exports
to the U.S. agricultural sector?
A: Trade is essential to the U.S. agricultural
sector, with agricultural
exports accounting for more than 20 percent of
the volume of U.S. agricultural production. (Scroll
down to "Food and Fiber Sector Indicators.").
The export share of food grains is among the highest
of specific commodity
groups.
Q: How important are
imports to U.S. food and agricultural markets?
A: In recent years, the import
share of food consumed in the United States has climbed to more
than 10 percent. The aggregate share of fruit and vegetable imports
is at least twice as large as that of animal products.
Q: What types
of farm operations receive government payments?
A: Diversity within the farm sector results in an unbalanced
distribution of all government payments (including
commodity and conservation programs). Farm size
(acreage), location, types of commodities produced,
and operator and household characteristics are among
the factors associated with allocation of government
payments. ERS provides a wide range of data on government
payments and the farm sector. Use ERS’s
Farm Business
and Household Survey Data to create customized
summaries of payments for diverse types of farm
operations.
Note: In step 1 select "Farm Business
Income Statement," and then "Government
Payments."
In steps 3 and 4, select the category of farms or
farm households.
Q: How
does U.S. agricultural policy address agricultural-environmental
issues?
A: U.S. agricultural-environmental
policy addresses a range of environmental concerns including
soil quality, water quality, wildlife habitat, air quality, and
other issues of concern. The United States uses a number of policy
instruments, notably land retirement programs, but relies most heavily
on financial incentives and technical assistance to agricultural
producers who agree to adopt practices designed to improve their
environmental performance.
Q: Is population in nonmetropolitan
areas increasing, or decreasing?
A: The population
of nonmetro counties has been trending upward, the result of
in-migration from metropolitan areas and from abroad. ERS provides
data on demographic trends in nonmetro areas, including how “nonmetro”
is defined.
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