U.S. agriculture underwent a tremendous transformation during the 20th century—the structure of farming and rural life today barely resembles that of the early 1900s. A comparison of six basic agricultural indicators across the century reveals a dramatic transformation of the U.S....

“Farm to school†and “farm to cafeteria†programs have proliferated around the United States. In 2008, Maryland passed the Jane Lawton Act, an unfunded program encouraging schools to serve Maryland produced food in schools. Like many other states, Maryland is seeking new...

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Enhancing the diet quality of economically disadvantaged households in the United States has long been a policy goal. Recently, select local governments and nonprofit organizations have augmented federal policy by offering federal nutrition beneficiaries vouchers, for use at farmers markets, to...

Grades and inspections govern the marketing of agricultural commodities. Federal legislation created the marketing institutions, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when national markets were emerging. Three commodities - fresh produce (fruit and vegetables), grains, and meat - all rely...

The use of contracts for producing and marketing agricultural commodities has become nearly universal in some sectors. Two factors are most frequently cited as being responsible for the use of agricultural contracts. The first, a demand-side factor, is the development of strong consumer...