Readings
Characteristics and Production Costs-This series of reports
presents information on how production costs vary among producers
of different commodities and the possible reasons for this
variation. Reports also include details on production practices and
input use levels, as well as farm operator and structural
characteristics.
The Diverse Structure
and Organization of U.S. Beef Cow-Calf Farms (March 2011) uses
2008 ARMS data for U.S. beef cow-calf farms to study their
structure and organization. Findings suggest that many small
operations are "rural residence farms" that specialize in beef
cow-calf production, but their income from off-farm sources exceeds
that from the farm. Most beef cow-calf production occurs on large
farms, but cow-calf production is not the primary enterprise on
many of these farms. Findings suggest that operators of beef
cow-calf farms have a diverse set of goals for the cattle
enterprise.
Characteristics,
Costs, and Issues for Organic Dairy Farming (November 2009)
uses 2005 ARMS data for U.S. dairy operations, which include a
targeted sample of organic milk producers, to examine the
structure, costs, and challenges of organic milk production.
Findings suggest that economic forces have made organic operations
more like conventional operations and that the future structure of
the industry may depend on the interpretation and implementation of
new organic pasture rules.
The Changing
Economics and U.S. Hog Production (December 2007) uses 1992,
1998, and 2004 ARMS data for U.S. hog farms to study the structural
and productivity changes in U.S. hog production from
1992-2004. Findings show that large operations specializing
in a single phase of production are replacing farrow-to-finish
operations that performed all phases of production. The use of
production contracts has increased. Operations producing under
contract are larger than independent operations and are more likely
to specialize in a single phase of production. These structural
changes have coincided with substantial gains in efficiency for hog
farms and lower production costs. Most of these productivity gains
are attributable to increases in the scale of production and
technological innovation.