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New from ERS

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  Corn and Soybean Cost of Production in Brazil and the United States

  This report compares corn and soybean production costs and returns between Brazil and the United States for 2023–25, examining differences in input use and farm practices. Brazil and the United States dominate global markets for both crops, collectively accounting for 58 percent of global corn trade and 83 percent of soybean trade. Brazil has emerged as a major competitor to the United States through its expansion of soybean and corn production and double-cropping systems, creating a shift in global production and trade patterns.

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  Characteristics and Trends of U.S. Rice Production Practices, Costs, and Returns, 2013−24

  This report identifies major trends in rice farming from approximately 2013 to 2024 and examines their causes and implications. This new data being analyzed are timely as the rice industry has faced challenges such as drought, flooding, rising input prices, and increased export competition over the past decade.

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  Implications of Vietnam’s Rice Export Limit for the Global and U.S. Rice Markets

  In 2023, the Vietnamese Government announced plans to reduce annual rice exports to 4 million metric tons by 2030—a 50-percent reduction from its 2024/25 export volume. Because Vietnam is the world’s second-largest rice exporter, this policy has the potential to increase volatility in global rice markets. Using two scenarios—Vietnam’s reduction alone and then a scenario where India also implements export restrictions—this study estimates the potential impacts on global rice trade and the implications for U.S. production and exports.

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  Contributing Factors to Rural Energy Use, Costs, and Affordability in the Early 2020s

  Rural households spend a higher percentage of their income on at-home energy expenditures than urban households. Higher rural expenditures were driven primarily by increased heating costs. Findings from this report provide insights into the factors that explain higher energy costs for rural households.

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  Examining the Rural College Labor Market

  In the last 15 years, changing skill demands among rural employers have elevated the importance of a college education. This report examines trends in the U.S. rural college labor force, focusing on factors such as rural college enrollment and degree completion, and the location decisions of college students.

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  Biotechnology in U.S. Crop Production: A Primer on Adoption, Costs, and Regulatory Structure

  Genetically engineered (GE) crop varieties have achieved widespread adoption in major field crops, accounting for more than 90 percent of corn, soybean, and cotton acreage in the United States since 2023. This report examines adoption, costs, and the regulatory structure of agricultural biotechnology.

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  Most Favored Nation Tariffs and U.S. Agricultural Trade

  This report compares most favored nation average tariffs across agricultural commodities between the United States and its trading partners. Tariffs are used by countries to protect domestic producers from foreign competition, to raise revenue, and to negotiate new economic and non-economic agreements.

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  Cooperative Extension in Transition: Trends Through 2024

  The U.S. Cooperative Extension Service provides non-formal education through land-grant universities. Since the 1970s, Extension funding has diversified and professional staff and Federal funding have declined, with notable regional differences.

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  Food-animal Veterinarians and the Persistence of Rural Shortage Areas

  Veterinarian services are an important input into food-animal agriculture. However, veterinarian shortages in food‑animal and mixed‑animal practices have persisted across many U.S. rural areas for more than a decade, despite ongoing Federal and State efforts to address service gaps.

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  Agricultural Income and Finance Situation and Outlook: 2021–23 Edition

  This report presents economic studies of the farm sector during the period of high inflation (2021-23) and interest rates, which could have been detrimental to the financial health of farm operations and households. The findings provide insight into the vulnerability of the farm and agricultural banking sectors.