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overview
Understanding links between farm economics and the use of natural
resources is critical to fostering greater harmony between agriculture
and ecosystems that support us and other species. Research can help
find ways in which agricultural competitiveness and economic development
can coexist with the natural resource base and enhanced environmental
quality. Federal policies must constantly evolve to promote stewardship
in light of new opportunities for productivity growth, resource-saving
technologies, and threats to biodiversity. More
overview...
related briefing rooms
features
The Conservation
Reserve Program: Economic Implications for Rural America—The
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) offers incentives for producers
and landowners to voluntarily retire highly erodible and other environmentally
sensitive cropland from production for 10-15 years. While the program’s
benefits to the environment, CRP participants, and other crop farmers
have made it a recurring focus of farm program legislation, the
CRP’s effect on farm communities has been a concern. Enrollment
in CRP could weaken demand for farm inputs and agricultural marketing
services, and many rural economies depend on such ancillary services.
Nonetheless, the results of a statistical analysis indicate that,
in the aggregate, impacts on rural communities have been limited.
Amber
Waves summary article (10/04)
 Measuring
the Success of Conservation Programs—Due to the influence
and interactions of many factors, evaluation of conservation programs
is a data-intensive and technically challenging process. Simply
identifying changes in farmers’ practices (let alone environmental
quality) is an insufficient basis for judging the success of a conservation
program. This article provides an overview of the steps necessary
for evaluating the success of conservation program. (9/04)
Environmental Compliance in U.S.
Agricultural Policy: Past Performance and Future Potential —Since
1985, U.S. agricultural producers have been required to practice
soil conservation on highly erodible cropland and conserve wetlands
as a condition of farm program eligibility. This report discusses
the general characteristics of compliance incentives, evaluates
their effectiveness in reducing erosion in the program’s current
form, and explores the potential for expanding the compliance approach
to address nutrient runoff from crop production. Amber
Waves summary article (6/04)
Agriculture and the
Environment In the United States and EU—Both the United
States and the EU utilize agri-environmental programs to encourage
the provision of environmental amenities and to reduce negative
environmental effects associated with agriculture. Both target environmental
objectives through a mixture of voluntary programs, regulatory programs,
and “cross-compliant” programs. Nonetheless, the two countries differ
in the types of programs, in implementation, and in the objectives
of agri-environmental policy. (February 2004)
Linking Land Quality, Agricultural
Productivity, and Food Security—As rising populations and
incomes increase pressure on land and other resources around the
world, agricultural productivity plays an increasingly important
role in improving food supplies and food security. This report explores
the extent to which land quality and land degradation affect agricultural
productivity, how farmers respond to land degradation, and whether
land degradation poses a threat to productivity growth and food
security in developing regions and around the world. Results suggest
that land degradation does not threaten food security at the global
scale, but does pose problems in areas where soils are fragile,
property rights are insecure, and farmers have limited access to
information and markets. (6/03)
Manure Management for Water Quality—EPA
regulations enacted in February 2003 require concentrated animal
feeding operations (generally the largest producers of hogs, chicken,
dairy and beef cattle) to meet nutrient application standards when
spreading their manure on cropland in order to preserve water resources
from nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. USDA is encouraging all animal
feeding operations to do the same. If all operations meet the new
standards, increases in production costs could be felt throughout
the food and agricultural system. This report evaluates the costs
of spreading manure on cropland at the farm, regional, and national
levels. (6/03)
 The
2002 Farm Bill: Provisions and Economic Implications—Presents
an overview of the Act and a side-by-side comparison of 1996-2001
farm legislation and the 2002 Act. For selected programs, links
are provided to additional analyses of key changes, program overview,
and economic implications.
recommended readings
Agricultural Resources
and Environmental Indicators—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. Combining data and information,
this report examines the complex connections among farming practices,
conservation, and the environment, which are increasingly important
components in U.S. agriculture and farm policy.
See additional recommended readings...
recommended data products
Crop
Production Practices — This web-based delivery tool allows
the user to create customized data summaries based on information
collected through a series of field-level commodity surveys. Also
known as Phase II of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey
(ARMS), this series is USDA's primary source of information about
the current status and trends in crop production practices for several
large-acreage 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: chemicals and
seeds, equipment, previous crops, highly erodible land, irrigation,
and pest, nutrient and crop residue mangement practices. Customized
data summaries can be generated for production years beginning in
1996.(10/04)
Agricultural resources and environmental
indicators database and mapping tool—Now you can map and
extract data behind statistics in Agricultural resources and environmental
indicators (AREI) and other ERS publications! The AREI Database
and Mapping Tool provides maximum flexibility in data access with
the latest, on-the-fly, geographic information system (GIS) mapping
and database retrieval technologies. This site is intended to eventually
serve as one-stop access to both primary source and value-added
data used to generate summaries, statistics, and graphics in a broad
range of ERS publications on agricultural resources and environmental
indicators.
Data that highlight important information
associated with ERS's research on harmony between agriculture and
the environment.
 Certified
Organic Farming—Provides data on organic acreage, and producers
for crops and livestock by State, region, and nationally for 1997,
2000, and 2001, with overall trend data from 1992. These data update
U.S. Organic Farming Emerges in the 1990s: Adoption of Certified
Systems, listed above, and will be published in a new report
later this year.
see all recommended data products...
related links
Natural Resources
Conservation Service—Information on conservation and environmental
programs.
Farm Services
Agency—Information on CRP and related programs.
National Agricultural Statistics
Service—Agricultural statistics.
Agricultural
Research Service—Information on agricultural and environmental
research.
Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service—Information
on university research, extension, and education programs.
See all related links...
maps and images gallery
Rural Amenities Flash
preview...
ERS U.S. Farm
Resource Regions—ERS constructed a new set of regions depicting
geographic specialization in production of U.S. farm commodities.
The new regions recognize both new capabilities and standards in
the resolution of relevant data, and overcome some longstanding
problems with the older USDA Farm Production Regions.
See all maps...
for more information, contact:
Joseph Cooper
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: October
12, 2004 |
Also at ERS... |
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