(Selected research findings from FY 25)
Farm operations received record-level direct Government payments in 2020 largely due to financial assistance from COVID-19-related programs
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated economic effects had implications for U.S. farms, the households that operate them, and the value of the land being farmed. Farm households, many of which rely on off-farm employment to supplement their total household income, were susceptible to higher nonfarm unemployment rates in 2020. And, although the pandemic had the potential to adversely affect farmland values, evidence suggests the demand for farmland remained high in 2020 and into 2021. This report examines the distribution of pandemic-related assistance for farm operations, farm household susceptibility and resilience to off-farm unemployment periods, and developments in farmland rental and real estate markets during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. farm labor expenses increase with each Census of Agriculture from 1997 to 2022
This report explores U.S. farm labor expenses using Census of Agriculture data, which when adjusted for inflation, reveal that total farm labor expenses increased from $32.6 billion to $53.8 billion in real terms (2023 dollars) from 1997 to 2022. Total sales of agricultural products also grew during this period and generally kept pace with labor expenses to agricultural sales fluctuating between 8 to 11 percent. Farms with annual agricultural sales of $1 million or more continued to account for most farm labor expenses; in 2022, these farms represented just 5.5 percent of all U.S. farms but accounted for 78.3 percent of total agricultural sales and 75.8 percent of total farm labor expenses.
Most U.S. farms (86 percent) are small family farms, operating 41 percent of U.S. agricultural land and accounting for 17 percent of the total value of production
Webinar: America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2024 Edition
American farms represent a diverse set of business operations and farm operators. This annual report describes the characteristics of U.S. farms and ranches with the most recent data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). Statistics for calendar year 2023 are presented using a farm classification developed by USDA, ERS to categorize farms into groups based on each farm’s annual gross cash farm income, the main occupation of the farm’s principal operator, and ownership (family versus nonfamily). This edition contains two new sections: (1) a section documenting farmers’ unpriced inventory held both on- and off-farm, and (2) a section outlining adoption rates for key precision agriculture technologies and the reasons provided by producers for their precision technology adoption decisions.
ERS introduces new accounting structure measuring annual employment, energy, and freshwater use across U.S. production activities
The production of goods and services in an economy requires the use of resources and materials. Linking resource flows to economic sectors is challenging because of the varying data availability and heterogeneity in the dataset dimensions, such as geography, activity scale, or time. This technical bulletin presents a flexible accounting structure to measure annual resource use throughout the U.S. economy by production activity. This research builds on past work by presenting an annual time series and advancing allocation metrics. Both natural resources and human resources are considered. These data quantify resource use and identify the resource intensity or efficiency of sectors but also offer opportunities for macroeconomic modeling and applications.
ERS documents 2023 developments in U.S. Federal policies affecting production agriculture, value chains, and food and nutrition assistance
In 2023, many provisions of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 expired at the end of the fiscal year and were extended through fiscal year 2024 under the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024. This study examines how these actions and other policy developments affected production agriculture, value chains, and nutrition assistance programs. In production agriculture, policy developments focused on disaster assistance, ongoing efforts to address supply chain challenges stemming from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, improvements in program delivery, and agricultural climate mitigation. For food and agricultural value chains, efforts centered on increasing competition and transparency, enhancing resilience, and improving sustainability. Changes in USDA’s food and nutrition assistance programs largely reflected the expiration of temporary waivers and policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ERS-developed data product captures food economy with additional measures not included in other measures
ERS researchers have developed a new data product called the Agri-Food Economic Data System (Ag-FEDS). Ag-FEDS is an integrated system that brings together many sources of economic data to show how production and consumption activities are connected across the economy. By organizing these data in one place, Ag-FEDS provides a clearer and more accurate picture of how production is distributed among consumers, businesses, governments, and global nations. This report introduces Ag-FEDS and explains the models and assumptions behind the new system.