overview
Phase 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.
Crop production practices data also supplement ERS’s Commodity
Costs and Returns and Farm
Financial Management data.
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
- Crop seed variety
Data summaries are available for production years 1996-2001 (years
available differ by commodity).
data files
The crop production practices data are summarized for both the surveyed
States and USDA farm production regions. Region designations vary
across crops and production practices due to data availability and
the regional nature of crop production. Data are presented in html
tables, and are available to download as Excel spreadsheets from
a link at the bottom of each table.
See all data
files.
methods
To construct these summaries, 5 years of sample data were combined
into a single data set comprising 44 questionnaire versions with
528 variables. The time-series data presented here were generated
from this set. Sampling weights provided by USDA's National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS) were adjusted for each completed, usable
sample by its share of the estimated acres planted with the target
crop. A jackknife re-sampling process was used with 15 additional
weights from NASS for each sample to estimate the standard error
for the coefficient of variation.
For additional information on ARMS and methods to analyze it, go
to the explanation
of how ARMS is conducted in the ARMS
Briefing Room.
updates
Soybean production practices data for production year 2002 will
be updated in 2004. The updated series will be almost identical
to the time-series data presented here, with a few additional data.
Responses to invasive species and the adoption of precision agricultural
technology will be added in the soybean data for 2002.
For the crops and schedule of surveys, see the coverage
chapter of the ARMS Briefing Room.
recommended readings
Soil, Nutrient, and Water Management
Systems Used in U.S. Corn Production—Corn production uses
over 25 percent of the Nation's cropland and more than 40 percent
of the commercial fertilizer applied to crops. Thus, corn farmers'
choices of soil, nutrient, and water management systems can have
a major impact not only on their own profitability, but also on
the environment. This report analyzes ARMS data on cropping practices
used on U.S. corn farms. This is the first study to relate corn
farm management choices to so broad a set of characteristics, such
as farmer age and education and size of the operation, and implementation
of management practices. AIB-774 (4/02)
Agricultural Resources and
Environmental Indicators, 2003—Identifies trends in land,
water, and biological resources and commercial input use, reports
on the condition of natural resources used in the agricultural sector,
and describes and assesses public policies that affect conservation
and environmental quality in agriculture. Chapters on production
practices include:
- 2.2 Irrigation Water Management
- 4.1 Production Management Overview
- 4.2 Soil Management and Conservation
- 4.3 Pest Management
- 4.4 Nutrient Management
related briefing rooms
|
Also at ERS... |
|
|
|