This report relies on fi ndings from several national surveys and current literature to assess water resource use and conservation measures within the U.S. irrigated crop sector. U.S. agriculture accounts for 80-90 percent of the Nation’s consumptive water use (water lost to the environment by...

Since 2003, direct payments have accounted for a signifi cant portion of farm program payments. If direct payments were eliminated, many agricultural producers would be affected, both through the loss of income and potential declines in land values and rental rates. This report considers the...

The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) farm typology was originally developed to classify farms into relatively homogeneous groups based on their gross farm sales, the primary occupation of their operators, and whether the farms are family farms. Nearly 15 years have passed since ERS first...

This report uses preliminary administrative data from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the agency responsible for managing the programs, to examine trends in the food and nutrition assistance programs through fi scal 2013 (October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013). The report uses ERS...

This report is a primer on the use of debt by U.S. farm businesses for policymakers, researchers, and others interested in the financial well-being of U.S. agriculture. It presents data on basic debt-use patterns by farm businesses (in 2011, over 900,000 farms operated as farm businesses based...

Formation of the Producers Export Company (PEC) in 1958 was a first attempt by grain cooperatives to develop an export merchandising program. PEC's nationwide membership had different export needs and financial resources which imposed constraints on PEC's strategy and operations. A lack of...

Farmers buying plant food from cooperatives paid 8 percent less per ton than those buying from other firms. On the average, farmers paid $361 per ton of nutrient from cooperatives in 1975, compared with the $392 they paid noncooperatives. This price differential of $31 a ton saved cooperative...

Turkey producers in Central Utah rely on the Moroni Feed Company, a highly integrated cooperative which replaced a declining sugar beet production of the 1930's. The cooperative's complete services now include everything from breeder flocks to processed turkey products, feed milling, field...

When earnings decline in the face of rising production costs, farmers may find leasing and renting more attractive than owning their equipment. This-study provides information to cooperative machinery dealers and production credit associations on the benefits, drawbacks, and potential of leasing...