Newsroom

New from ERS

• 

  Documentation for the Agri-Food Economic Data System (Ag-FEDS): Multiplier Model Applications

  USDA’s Economic Research Service developed the Agri-food Economic Data System (Ag-FEDS), which is the underlying data source for two food-system specific multiplier models, which provide greater detail and insights into the U.S. food economy than previously available.

• 

  A More Detailed Food Dollar: Enhanced Accounting of U.S. Food Costs

  The USDA, Economic Research Service’s Food Dollar measures the costs, along the supply chain, of producing and marketing food to consumers. These measures include the farm share of the food dollar. This report highlights updates to the Food Dollar and the impact of these changes on estimated shares.

• 

  Persistence of Cover Crop Use in Crop Production in the United States, 2012–2022

  This report examines the persistence of cover crop use through four distinct data sources that measure use in different ways. The results show that cover crop use has increased over time, but this overall increase masks a significant share of fields reducing or disadopting cover crop use.

• 

  Characterizing Foreign Investment in U.S. Agricultural Land, 2022

  This report provides a comparison of foreign-owned and foreign-leased U.S. agricultural land held in 2022 using data collected as part of the mandatory reporting requirements set forth in the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA). Foreign-held, long-term leases (i.e., 10-year-or-more) account for roughly one-third of the foreign-held U.S. agricultural land as of December 31, 2022, up from roughly 20 percent in 2017. This report also identifies important differences between foreign-owned and foreign-leased agricultural land in the United States, in terms of its use, location, size, and other characteristics. A much greater share (85 percent versus 2 percent) of foreign-leased agricultural land is associated with renewable energy development than foreign-owned land. A much smaller share of foreign leases (less than 10 percent) results in a change in the agricultural producer (operator) when compared with foreign purchases of agricultural land. The research in this report shows that foreign leases of agricultural land are more likely to result in the dual use (i.e., agriculture and renewable energy) of such lands that provide owner-operators with an additional stream of income without significantly impacting the existing agricultural situation.

• 

  Webinar: America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2025 Edition

  In this webinar, ERS Economist Katherine Lacy presents findings from America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2025 Edition.

• 

  America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2025 Edition

  America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2025 Edition

• 

  Webinar: Farm Income and Financial Forecasts, February 2026 Update

  During this webinar, ERS Economist Carrie Litkowski will present the first farm sector income and wealth forecasts for calendar year 2026.

• 

  Precision Dairy Farming, Robotic Milking, and Profitability in the United States

  ERS research shows that U.S. adoption of precision dairy technologies related to milking, breeding, and data systems has increased steadily since 2000. These technologies include sensors, data analytics, and automation, among others, which help operators to manage at the cow rather than herd level. This report finds that robotic milking, or use of two or more precision technologies from the broader set of technologies studied, increases U.S. farmers’ dairy net returns by 13 percent on average.

• 

  Webinar: Rural America at a Glance: 2025 Edition

  In this webinar, ERS Geographer Tracey Farrigan shares highlights from the 2025 edition of the report, including indicators on population change and migration trends, employment, income, and poverty.

• 

  Rural America at a Glance: 2025 Edition

  Rural America at a Glance is an annual report that highlights recent social and economic conditions in nonmetropolitan areas of the United States.