overview
The Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) is USDA's primary
source of information on the financial condition, production practices,
resource use, and economic well being of America's farm households.
Sponsored jointly by ERS and the National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS), ARMS began in 1996 as a synthesis of the former
USDA cropping practice, chemical use, and farm costs and returns
surveys, which dated back to 1975. ARMS data are essential to USDA,
congressional, administration, and industry decisionmakers when
weighing alternative policies and programs that touch the farm sector
or affect farm families. In short, ARMS is the mirror in which American
farming views itself.
ARMS data underpin USDA's annual estimates of net farm income,
subsequently provided to the Bureau of Economic Analysis for developing
annual estimates of gross domestic product and personal income.
The ARMS survey fulfills a congressional mandate that USDA provide
annual cost-of-production estimates for commodities covered under
farm support legislation. ARMS also provides data regarding chemical
use on field crops required under environmental and food safety
legislation.
contents
features
ARMS UpdateAs part
of ERS' commitment to improve knowledge of the Agricultural Resource
Management Survey process and access to the aggregate data products,
ERS has developed a newsletter to publicize ARMS status, schedule,
and data availability. Subscribe to the
ARMS Update.
Crop Production PracticesPhase
II of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) is USDA's
primary source of information about the current status and trends
in crop production practices for major crops (corn, soybeans, wheat,
and cotton). This survey also obtains data on U.S. farmers' agricultural
resource use, as well as data to assess potential environmental
impacts associated with crop production practices. The ARMS survey
yields annual data summaries for field-level data by crop, including:
irrigation technology and water use, nutrient use and nutrient management
practices, crop residue management practices, pest management practices
and pesticide use, and crop seed variety. Data summaries are available
for production years 1996-2000 (1996-98 and 2000 for wheat).(1/03)
Agricultural
Income and Finance Situation and Outlook ReportNet value
added is forecast at $82.4 billion for 2002, down $8.5 billion (9.3
percent) from 2001. Net value added is a measure of the contribution
of agricultural production to the national and State economies.
It is also a measure of the income earned by those participants
who contribute resources for a predetermined payment (stakeholders)
and those who contribute resources with the expectation of receiving
additional financial rewards for sharing in the risks of production.
AIS-79 (9/02)
recommended readings
Characteristics and Production
Costs of U.S. Rice Farms — Regional differences in production
practices, farm characteristics, and growing conditions were major
influences on production costs among U.S. rice producers in 2000.
Three-quarters of rice production was concentrated on large and
very large farms, categories that included nearly two-thirds of
all rice farms, but the link between size of enterprise and production
costs for rice is weaker than for other commodities. At the marketing-year
average price of $5.61 per hundredweight, 78 percent of rice farms
were able to cover operating costs and 43 percent covered both their
operating and ownership costs of rice production in 2000. After
accounting for Government payments, nearly all rice farms (97 percent)
were able to cover operating costs in 2000, and about 84 percent
were able to cover both operating and ownership costs. (03/04)
Characteristics and Production
Costs of U.S. Dairy Operations —The total costs of producing
milk vary across the U.S. Milk producers in the West had a significant
cost advantage in 2000 over producers in other regions because their
operations were much larger. Operations with 500 or more milk cows
had significantly lower operating and ownership costs, indicating
economies of size. Also, differences in animal performance, feed
efficiency, and labor efficiency were critical in determining whether
producers were in the low- or high-cost group for producing milk.
(02/04)
Adoption of Bioengineered CropsThis
report uses USDA survey data to examine the extent to which US farmers
have adopted bioengineered crops, factors affecting adoption of
these crops, and the impacts of bioengineered crops on input use
and farm-level net returns.
Food
and Agricultural Policy: Taking Stock for the New Century Sets
out principles for equipping the food and agriculture sector to
operate in a modern business environment that is globally integrated,
highly competitive, technologically advanced, and environmentally
conscious, and which must respond to increasingly sophisticated
consumers. The arguments put forth in chapters 3 and 5 of the report
are based in large part on ARMS data that provide a detailed picture
of the diversity of U.S. farms.
Pest Management in U.S. AgricultureDescribes
the use of pest management practices, including integrated pest
management (IPM), for major field crops and selected fruits and
vegetables. Data came chiefly from ARMS. Because different pest
classes may dominate among different crops and regions, requiring
different pest management techniques to control them, the extent
of adoption of pest management practices varies widely. This variation
is captured by the detailed cropping practices information collected
in ARMS.
see additional recommended
readings
recommended data
ARMS
Data Highlight Trends in Cropping PracticesSince 1996,
U.S. farmers have responded to a number of industry-altering changes,
including lower crop prices, the availability of genetically engineered
seed, and environmental incentives embodied in farm legislation.
How have these shocks affected farming and conservation practices
used by farmers? Amber Waves (02/03).
Crop Production PracticesPhase
II of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) is USDA's
primary source of information about the current status and trends
in crop production practices for major crops (corn, soybeans, wheat,
and cotton). This survey also obtains data on U.S. farmers' agricultural
resource use, as well as data to assess potential environmental impacts
associated with crop production practices. The ARMS survey yields
annual data summaries for field-level data by crop, including: irrigation
technology and water use, nutrient use and nutrient management practices,
crop residue management practices, pest management practices and pesticide
use, and crop seed variety. Data summaries are available for production
years 1996-2000 (1996-98 and 2000 for wheat).
Farm Financial Management DataUpdates
ARMS data previously available on farm business financial management
and the ERS farm typology. Standard financial statements (income
statement, balance sheet) and financial ratios are summarized for
various classifications of farms such as farm type, economic class,
region, and operator age. The typology tables include standard financial
statements as well as structural characteristics for all farms in
both a three-category typology (rural residence, intermediate, and
commercial farms) and the full eight-category
typology. In addition, selected financial information is provided
for farm operator households and family farms.
see all recommended data
recent research developments
Agricultural
Resource Management Survey (ARMS) Initiative: Information for Stakeholders
related briefing rooms
These briefing rooms feature analysis and data directly drawn from
ARMS data:
Ag Chemicals and Production Technology
Agricultural Biotechnology
Conservation and
Environmental Policy
Farm and Commodity Policy
Farm Financial Management
Farm Income and Costs
Farm Risk Management
Farm Structure
Federal Taxes
These briefing rooms feature analysis embodying economic information
or relationships ultimately derived from ARMS data:
Agricultural Baseline Projections
Agricultural Research and Productivity
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Cattle
Corn
Cotton
Dairy
European Union
Federal Taxes
Hogs
NAFTA
Potatoes
Poultry and Eggs
Rice
Soybeans and Oil Crops
Sugar and Sweeteners
Tobacco
Tomatoes
Vegetables and Melons
Wheat
WTO
related links
National Agricultural Statistics
ServiceERS partner in collecting ARMS data.
Commodity Costs
and Returns Estimation Handbook
A Report of the AAEA Task Force on Commodity Costs and ReturnsDisciplinary
guidance on collecting data and estimating costs and returns for
agricultural crops and livestock.
map and image gallery
farm business graphs
costs and returns region maps
for more information, contact: Mitch
Morehart
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: September
8, 2004
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Also at ERS... |
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latest publications
DatelinERS Newsletter, September 2004
Amber Waves, September 2004
Measuring the Success of Conservation Programs
latest data products
Farm and Farm-related Employment
Agricultural Outlook Statistical Indicators
Agricultural Biotechnology Intellectual Property
research emphases
harmony between agriculture and the environment
related topics
Ag Chemicals & Production Technology
Ag Chemicals & Production Technology>Cropping Practices
Ag Chemicals & Production Technology>Fertilizers
Ag Chemicals & Production Technology>Genetically Engineered Inputs
Ag Chemicals & Production Technology>Pest Management & IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
Ag Chemicals & Production Technology>Pesticides
Agricultural R&D; and Productivity>Biotechnology R&D;
Biotechnology>Biotechnology R&D;
Biotechnology>Genetically Engineered Inputs
Biotechnology>Production Impacts
Crops>Ag Chemicals & Production Technology
Crops>Farm Structure, Income, & Performance
Farm Financial & Risk Management
Farm Financial & Risk Management>Farm Financial Management
Farm Financial & Risk Management>Farm Risk Management
Farm Structure, Income, & Performance
Farm Structure, Income, & Performance>Costs of Production
Farm Structure, Income, & Performance>Farm Financial Performance
Farm Structure, Income, & Performance>Farm Income Estimates
Farm Structure, Income, & Performance>Farm Income Forecasts
Farm Structure, Income, & Performance>Farm Structure/Characteristics
Farm Structure, Income, & Performance>Small Farms
Farm/Rural Finance & Tax
Natural Resources, Environment, & Conservation
Natural Resources, Environment, & Conservation>Irrigation & Water Use
Natural Resources, Environment, & Conservation>Soil Conservation
Natural Resources, Environment, & Conservation>Water Quality
Policy Topics
Policy Topics>Farm & Commodity Policy
Policy Topics>Farm Income Policy
resources
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