The growing retail desire for exclusive and specialized food products offers new marketing opportunities for small and medium-sized food suppliers that understand the new world of food merchandising and are capable of delivering food products that satisfy commercial requirements for quality,...

This report summarizes one of the panel discussions, “Emerging Market Opportunities for Small-scale Producers,” held as part of the August 2008 USDA Fifth Annual Partners Meeting, sponsored by the USDA Office of Outreach. The purpose of the annual event is to support a dialogue between USDA...

Throughout the United States, the number of farmers markets continues to rise, their popularity spurred by consumers’ growing demand for locally produced food. More than 4,900 farmers markets operate nationwide today—a jump from fewer than 1,800 only 15 years ago. Because most Federal...

This paper is a summary of: Rafael de Farias Costa, C. Parr Rosson, III, and Flynn J. Adcock, Transportation Infrastructure in Brazil: Impacts and Implications for Global Cotton Trade, Texas A&M, CNAS 2012-0. May 2012. Web. <http://cnas.tamu.edu/ Publications/Brazil Cotton Transportation Report June 2012.pdf> Brazil is the third largest cotton exporter after the United States and...</http://cnas.tamu.edu/>

The rail industry is an integral part of the agricultural transportation system of the United States. For producers and shippers of bulk commodities, railroads are particularly important for the movement to end users, many of whom are located long distances from the farms. Information on rail...

Every 5 years, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) engages in a comprehensive study of the U.S. farm economy, known as the Census of Agriculture. The Census examines various facets of farm ownership, structure, and production and marketing practices. Beginning with the 1997...

The PDF is very large (29MB). To download one chapter at a time, go to http://dx.doi.org/10.9752/TS041.04-2010.

A recurring challenge faced by farmers is the lack of distribution infrastructure and services to allow them to take greater advantage of the growing demand for locally and regionally grown food. Regional food hubs have emerged as one effective way to overcome these infrastructural and market...

Farmers markets are an important market channel for farmers who want to sell their products directly to consumers. This sector has grown dramatically in the last 10 years, more than doubling from 2,863 markets in 2000 to 6,132 in 2010. However, the increasing number of markets obscures the...

This is a PDF of a Powerpoint presentation.