Recent News Stories Use ERS
Data and Analysis
Local Food Marketing Growing on Consumer Demand
Feedstuffs – December 13, 2011
Farmers selling their production through farmers' markets, roadside stands or other local outlets account for a small but growing segment of U.S. agriculture, as consumer demand for locally produced food is also increasing, according to researchers Sarah A. Low and Stephen Vogel at the U.S. Economic Research Service (ERS). Farmers also sell their production through "intermediated" channels such as restaurants and retail stores, creating a $4.8 billion market.
In Northwest Pasadena, Access to Healthful Food Is Limited
Los Angeles Times 12/11
Northwest Pasadena has the traits of what nutrition experts call a food desert, defined by Congress as a lower-income neighborhood or community "with limited access to affordable and nutritious food"…. A 2009 Department of Agriculture [ERS] study found that although proximity to healthful options helps to lower obesity rates, increased consumption of vegetables and fruits doesn't automatically lead to a lower body fat percentage. People who eat healthful food may also continue to eat junk food.
Food Prices Rise, Portion Sizes Shrink
Bakersfield Californian – December 10, 2011
U.S. Department of Agriculture research economist Ricky Volpe says the culprit is a triple whammy: commodity prices across the board are high so food manufacturers are passing along the cost of acquiring raw materials; the weak dollar has increased demand for domestically produced food abroad; and fuel prices have driven up the cost of manufacturing and distributing food.
Find Health, Wellness Tips Online
Scranton Times – December 7, 2011
Here are a few interesting websites and e-mail resources that will help you on your daily quest for health and wellness…. The USDA Economic Research Service has created and maintains a Food Environment Atlas that currently includes 168 indicators of the food environment around the country. Some of the variables include store/restaurant proximity, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs and community characteristics.
Mid-size Farmers Seek Place in Trend Toward Larger Operations
Iowa Farmer Today – December 1, 2011
Robert Hoppe, an ag economist with the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), wrote an article this past year looking at the issue of farm structure. The trend is clearly toward fewer farmers on larger farms producing the bulk of farm commodities, Hoppe says. At the same time, there is a trend toward more small farms, often with incomes of under $10,000 a year, dotting the countryside.
U.S. Farm Income to Set Record on Skyrocketing Markets
Reuters, Chicago Tribune, other outlets – November 29, 2011
Record-high prices for crops and livestock will lift U.S. farm income 19 percent this year, which for the first time will top $100 billion, the government estimated on Tuesday. Another buoyant year is also in sight in 2012 for an agricultural boom that started in 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Increasing DDGS Found in Poultry Rations
Agri-View – November 23, 2011
A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that dried distillers grain solubles (DDGS) from ethanol plants are replacing even more corn and soybean meal in livestock and poultry feed rations than previously thought…. According to the report by USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), "Findings demonstrate that, in aggregate (including major types of livestock/poultry), a metric ton of DDGS can replace, on average, 1.22 metric tons of feed consisting of corn and soybean meal in the United States.
Online Resources Scan Help You Live Healthy Lifestyle
Poughkeepsie Journal, North West Florida Daily News – November 19, 20, 2011
Here are a few interesting websites and e-mail resources that will help you on your daily quest for health and wellness:
Food Environment Atlas: www.ers.usda.gov/foodatlas
The USDA Economic Research Service has created and maintains a Food Environment Atlas that currently includes 168 indicators of the food environment around the country. Some of the variables include store/restaurant proximity, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs and community characteristics.
In the Labyrinth of Turkey Pricing, a Reason Under Every Giblet
New York Times – November 18, 2011
David Harvey, poultry analyst at the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service, said the price for a bushel of feed corn was $6.69 in September, up 54 percent from $4.32 the year before. He attributed the increase to a combination of greater demand for feed ingredients here and abroad but also to increased use of ethanol, which is made from corn.
USDA issues report on “How Much Time Do Americans Spend on Food?”
AgriMarketing November 16, 2011
Economic Research Service (ERS) reports:
This report uses data from the 2006-08 ERS Eating & Health Module of the American Time Use Survey to present an overview of Americans' eating and other food-related time use patterns, including grocery shopping and meal preparation, and teenage time use patterns in relation to school meals.
Rocky Road Ahead for Cantaloupe After Listeria Outbreak
Food Safety News – November 15, 2011
The USDA's Economic Research Service Vegetables and Melons Outlook report shows that last summer wholesale cantaloupe prices were actually 16 percent higher than previous years, which, under normal circumstances, is great news for the industry. But since the listeria outbreak caught national media attention, the price has dropped by 33.6 percent.
USDA: ‘Locally Grown’ Food a $4.8 Billion Business
Associated Press, Boston Globe, other outlets – November 14, 2011
A new U.S. Department of Agriculture report says sales of "local foods," whether sold direct to consumers at farmers markets or through intermediaries such as grocers or restaurants, amounted to $4.8 billion in 2008. That's a number several times greater than earlier estimates…. The much bigger, $4.8 billion figure came when sales to local restaurants, retailers and regional food distributors were added in. "Think of it as expanding what the picture looks like," said Stephen Vogel, who helped do the study for the Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service.
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