New Releases

Education in Rural Areas

Rural Education at a Glance (RDRR-98-1), the latest in a series of ERS reports on rural social and economic conditions, draws upon the most recent Federal data to summarize the education characteristics of rural America. This six-page report charts the progress made in educational attainment in the 1990s and documents the increasing importance of education to the economic well-being of rural workers and places. It also notes the challenges of a persistent education gap between rural racial and ethnic groups as well as between regions. Robert Gibbs

More Information on Production Practices

Data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) have typically provided information on individual production practices. A recent enhancement to this database allows users to examine production practices—particularly those related to nutrient and pesticide management—in much greater detail. Specifically, researchers can now generate tables that will help them analyze and understand the relationships between different production practices. Data are presented in html tables, and are available to download as Excel spreadsheets from a link at the bottom of each table. James Payne and C.S. Kim

Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators Database and Mapping Tool

ERS has developed an online interactive mapping tool that displays data on agriculture and related issues from a variety of sources. Users can create maps and tables that display published county-level data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture for 1997, 1992, and 1987. Additional data on population, natural resources, and other variables will appear in the future.