|
overview
USDA has estimated annual production costs and returns and published
accounts for major field crop and livestock enterprises since 1975.
Cost and return estimates are reported for the United States and
major production regions for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain
sorghum, rice, peanuts, oats, barley, sugarbeets, tobacco, milk,
hogs, and cow-calf. These cost and return accounts are "historical"
accounts based on the actual costs incurred by producers. The costs
and returns estimation program uses surveys conducted every
3-8 years for each commodity, and methods that conform to standards
recommended by the American
Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA).
features
Monthly
Milk Cost of Production Estimates—Congress included language
in USDA's FY 2003 appropriation that strongly urged USDA to make
available monthly milk costs of production (COP) in various areas
of the United States. To comply with this request, ERS reports monthly
milk COP by State, where sufficient data support a State estimate.
Estimates are available starting from January 2003.
In addition to the time series of historical cost and return accounts,
cost-of-production
forecasts for major field crops are available for the current
year. The forecasts are developed as a part of the USDA Baseline
projections to help develop projected net returns for major field
crops. These long-term baseline projections provide a starting point
for discussion of alternative outcomes for the agricultural sector
under expected or proposed future policies. Cost-of-production is
only forecast at the national level and would differ considerably
among regions, individual farmers, and by size of operation. Information
on how costs-of-production vary across the farm sector is available
in a series of statistical bulletins highlighting farm characteristics
and production costs for major crops and livestock.
data directories
The files for each commodity are divided into 4 categories:
- U.S. and regional estimates for the most recent 2 years
- A time-series of U.S. and regional estimates made using the
format and methods endorsed by the AAEA task force on commodity
costs and returns and ERS farm resource regions.
- A time-series of U.S and regional estimates from 1975 using
the previous format and methods and regional definitions.
- A time-series of U.S. and regional estimates for major field
crop that include the effects of government program participation
(various years 1988-95).
Also included are:
- A spreadsheet of estimated fuel consumption by crop and state
based on the most recent survey data (since 1997) for each crop.
- Monthly milk costs of production estimated since January 2003
in surveyed states.
see all the data files...
format
Data files for each commodity are in a downloadable MS Excel format.
size
All data files are less than 100 kb and many are less than 50 kb.
release date
Annual estimates on or around October 1.
Monthly milk estimates on or around mid-month.
instructions/helpful hints
Each file may be downloaded to the client's personal computer, opened
in most types of spreadsheet software and processed using the full
range of spreadsheet functions. Files include multiple spreadsheets
in cases where estimates are available for more than one area within
a region, or for time periods where the account format or regional
definitions have changed. Users can choose among multiple spreadsheets
in a file by selecting the tabs displayed at the bottom of the spreadsheets.
glossary
Check the glossary
for explanations of the economic concepts used throughout farm income
and costs.
contacts
William McBride (team
leader, hogs)
Mir Ali (wheat, barley,
sugarbeets)
Sara Short (milk, cow-calf,
grain sorghum)
Linda Foreman (corn, tobacco)
Janet Livezey (soybeans,
rice, oats)
George Wallace (cotton,
peanuts)
|
Also at ERS...
