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RS reports and studies can provide context to breaking
stories on food, agriculture, natural resources, and
rural development.
In the News
U.S. appetite for beef raises food prices (Los Angeles
Times, 3/29/04)
From ERS
Livestock,
Dairy, and Poultry Outlook. Strong beef demand
and poor feedlot performance due to poor feeding conditions
are helping to offset the negative impact of the export
ban on U.S. beef and cattle since discovery of a BSE-infected
cow in Washington State in December. USDA's March beef
production forecast is below earlier expectations because
of slower-than-expected slaughter and severe winter
weather. Lower expected beef supplies and continued
firm demand are helping support prices.
In the News
FDA postpones new food tracking rules (Associated
Press, 3/27/04)
From ERS
Traceability in
the U.S. Food Supply: Economic Theory and Industry
Studies.
Traceability systems generate information on the flow
of food and food products and aid in tracking food
to its source. ERS examined the amount, type, and adequacy
of traceability systems, focusing on fresh produce,
grains and oilseeds, and cattle/beef. The investigation
finds that traceability systems vary across industries
as firms balance the private costs and benefits. The
report's highlights are in a four-page brochure.
in the news
High fuel, fertilizer costs hit farmers for second
year (Reuters, 3/31/04)
From ERS
Production
Costs Critical to Farming Decisions. Weather,
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 help them weather
rough patches. Drawing on information from the annual
Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), ERS
examines how U.S. producers are covering costs and
why costs vary among farms.
In the News
On-farm carbon sequestration: ERS report addresses
economic feasibility (Reuters, 3/31)
From ERS
Economics of Sequestering
Carbon in the U.S. Agricultural Sector. Atmospheric
concentrations of greenhouse gases can be reduced by
withdrawing carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering
it in soils and biomass. ERS analyzes alternative incentive
designs involving payments to farmers to adopt practices
that absorb additional carbon. At a carbon price of
$125 per metric ton, estimated sequestration from additional
conservation tillage and forest planting would range
from 72 to 160 million metric tons.
In the News
Threat
of obesity hinders well-being of today's children
(Washington Post,
3/25/04)
From ERS
The Diets
of America's Children: Influence of Dining
Out, Household Characteristics, and Nutrition
Knowledge. Recent USDA surveys point
out several shortcomings in children's diets.
The share of calories from total and saturated
fat, for example, averaged 4 and 3 percentage
points above recommendations. Sodium intake
averaged 23 percent above the frequently recommended
2,400 mg. Compared with home foods, away-from-home
foods were higher in total and saturated fat
and lower in cholesterol, fiber, calcium, iron,
and sodium. With increasing popularity of dining
out, efforts to improve children's diets may
need strengthening.
In the News
Cattle auctions vanishing as meatpacking
consolidates (Chicago Tribune, 3/17/04)
From ERS
Consolidation
in U.S. Meatpacking. Meatpacking
consolidated rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s:
slaughter plants became much larger, and
concentration increased as smaller firms
left the industry. ERS uses establishment-based
data from the U.S. Census Bureau to describe
consolidation and to identify the roles of
scale economies and technological change
in driving consolidation.
In the News
Pennsylvania partners with USDA to improve
water quality (Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program, Miami Herald, 3/24/04)
From ERS
Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program: Early Results
from a Federal-State Partnership.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
(CREP), which allows States to supplement
Federal incentives offered to farmers under
the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), has
helped encourage land retirement for conservation
purposes in some States. CREP helps participating
States to address more State-specific goals
and to target conservation practices that
may not be covered under the CRP.
In the News
Seed companies to release information
on corn genes (New York Times, 3/17/04)
from ERS
Have
Seed Industry Changes Affected Research Effort? Crop
variety research and development have contributed
to unprecedented crop yields experienced
by U.S. farmers since the 1930s. Research
has become predominantly private, and private
sector firms have evolved from small operations
to large integrated enterprises capable of
variety development and seed production,
conditioning, and marketing. As the seed
sector consolidates, will the intensity of
research efforts decrease?
In the News
Should California farmers pay more
for water? (Wall
Street Journal, 3/17/04)
From ERS
Agricultural Resources and Environmental
Indicators: Water Use and Pricing in Agriculture.
Irrigated agriculture remains the dominant
use of fresh water in the United States,
although its share of total consumptive
use is declining. Nationally, variable
irrigation water costs averaged $32 per
acre for groundwater and $41 for off-farm
surface water. Neither reflects the full
costs of water; onfarm costs can be substantial
for groundwater access, while infrastructure
costs are often subsidized for publicly
developed, off-farm surface water supplies.
In the News
FDA pledges to inspect more food imports
(Associated Press, 3/11/04)
From ERS
Imports'
Share of U.S. Diet Rises in Late 1990s.
Food imports account for a relatively small
share of the U.S. diet, but grew considerably
in importance during the late 1990s--from
an average of 7.5 percent for 1979-94 to
9.1 percent for 1998 and 1999. A strong U.S.
economy, lower import prices, and U.S. participation
in trade agreements contributed to the increase
in imports in the last half of the 1990s.
High-value products, such as seafood, red
meat, cheese, fruits and juices, vegetables,
beer, and wine, were among the fastest-growing
U.S. imports.
In the News
European Union to discuss ending export subsidies (Reuters, 2/26/04)
From ERS
U.S.-EU
Food and Agriculture Comparisons. Similarities
and differences emerge in comparing farm structure,
production, productivity, risk management, environmental
and commodity policy, trade, and food consumption.
Enlargement of the European Union is among the key
issues with implications for bilateral relations.
In the News
U.S. wants exemption to methyl bromide ban (New
York Times, 3/4/04)
From ERS
Methyl
Bromide Phaseout Proceeds: Users Request Exemptions.
A widely used fumigant in agriculture, methyl bromide
is among the chemicals being phased out worldwide under
the Montreal Protocol signed by the U.S. and 182 other
countries. Analyses by ERS indicate that the phaseout
could cause short-term losses until more cost-effective
pest-control alternatives are developed and made available.
In the News
Lower incomes can mean greater obesity risk (Atlanta
Journal Constitution, 3/3/04)
From ERS
Exploring
Food Purchase Behavior of Low-Income Households: How
Do They Economize? A comparison of food purchases
by households of different income levels indicates
that low-income shoppers spend less on food purchases
despite facing generally higher purchase prices where
they shop. Low-income households economize when possible
through a variety of economizing methods.
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