Download or read book Commodity Payments Farm Business Survival and Farm Size Growth written by Nigel David Key and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last 25 years, U.S. crop farms have steadily declined in number and grown in average size, as production has shifted to larger operations. Larger farms tend to receive more commodity program payments because most payments are tied to a farm's current or historical production, but whether payments have contributed to farm growth is uncertain. This study uses farm-level data from the census of agriculture to determine whether there is a statistical relationship between farm commodity program payments and greater concentration in production. The analysis indicates that, at the regional level, higher commodity program payments per acre are associated with subsequent farm growth. Also, higher payments per acre are associated with higher rates of farm survival and growth.

Download or read book Understanding U S Farm Exits Farm Survival and the Role of Commodity Payments written by Lucas A. Hamilton and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About 717,000 farms in the U.S. went out of business, or exited, between 1992 and 1997, but the total number of farms declined by just 13,400 because the number of entries (703,700 farms) nearly equalled exits. In fact, the farm count has remained relatively stable since the 1974 Census, reflecting exits and entries essentially in balance. This book explores and studies U.S. farm exits, farm survival and the role of commodity payments.

Download or read book Economic Indicators of the Farm Sector written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes data on value added, production expenses, financial ratios--profitability, assets and business debt, number of farms and livestock and poultry, and government payments.

Download or read book Small Farms in the United States written by Robert A. Hoppe and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010-08 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ninety-one percent of U.S. farms are classified as small ¿ gross cash farm income (GCFI) of less than $250,000. About 60% of these small farms are very small, generating GCFI of less than $10,000. These very small noncommercial farms exist independently of the farm economy because their operators rely heavily on off-farm income. The remaining small farms ¿ small commercial farms ¿ account for most small-farm production. Overall farm production continues to shift to larger operations, while the number of small commercial farms and their share of sales maintain a long-term decline. The shift to larger farms will continue to be gradual, because some small commercial farms are profitable and others are willing to accept losses. Illus.

Download or read book Growing Farm Size and the Distribution of Farm Payments written by James MacDonald and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book U S Farm Income written by Randy Schnepf and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2012-10-23 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), national net farm income—a key indicator of U.S. farm well-being—is forecast at a record $122.2 billion in 2012, up 3.7% from last year's record. Record gross revenues from crop sales (forecast at $222.1 billion), coupled with record revenues (forecast at $34.1 billion) from farm-related income—a category that includes crop insurance indemnity payments as well as income from custom work, machine hire, etc.—pushed total gross cash income to a record $433.6 billion (up 5.5%). This more than offset flat revenues from livestock markets ($165.8 billion), and a 6.6% increase in input costs (forecast at $294.2 billion) to account for the record forecast for overall net returns. When measured in cash terms, net cash income in 2012 is also projected record large at $139.3 billion, up 3.4% from last year's record. However, when adjusted for inflation, current farm income forecasts remain well below the peak period of the early 1970s. In addition to record farm income, farm wealth is also at record levels. Farm asset values—which reflect farm investors' and lenders' expectations about long-term profitability of farm-sector investments—are expected to rise nearly 7% in 2012 to a record $2,551 billion for a fifth consecutive year of gains. Farm land cash markets have continued to see gains related to strong crop prices in 2012. Since 2008, farm asset values are up 26% while farm debt has risen by only 8%. As a result, the farm debt-to-asset ratio has declined steadily since 2008 and is expected to fall to the lowest level on record in 2012 at 10.2%. The 2012 outlook for a second year of strong farm income occurs in spite of slow growth in the domestic economy and the most severe and extensive drought in at least 25 years. The ongoing drought is expected to destroy or damage a significant portion of the U.S. corn and soybean crops, with deleterious impacts on all U.S. livestock sectors—cattle, hogs, poultry, and dairy—and with the potential to affect food prices at the retail level. Yet, drought-induced large increases in the value of this year's crops, plus substantial crop insurance indemnity payments, are expected to more than offset rising production expenditures for both crop and livestock activities and generate record farm income. Government farm payments, at $11 billion (up 6%), are expected to remain relatively small in 2012 (second-lowest total since 1997) as high commodity prices shut off payments under the price-contingent marketing loan and counter-cyclical payment programs. These data suggest a strong financial position in 2012 for the agricultural sector as a whole relative to the rest of the U.S. economy, but with substantial regional variation. In general, the increase in expenses will affect livestock producers more harshly than crop producers. Cash grain farmers in the Corn Belt and Northern Plains are expected to experience a second year of record revenues despite the drought. In contrast, livestock and poultry feeders are experiencing record high feed costs that have narrowed or eliminated profit margins despite record high wholesale and retail prices for their end products. In addition, the severe nationwide drought has limited grazing opportunities and hay production for cattle ranchers in the affected regions and led to substantial herd liquidation. The lingering effects of the drought are expected to spill over into next year, when record-high market prices will likely motivate large feed grain and oilseed plantings. Eventual 2013 agricultural economic well-being will hinge greatly on spring crop planting and summer growing weather, as well as both domestic and international macroeconomic factors including economic growth and consumer demand.

Download or read book Public Economics in the United States written by Steven Payson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-06-11 with total page 1266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive explanation of the U.S. government's role in economics will be an eye-opener for anyone who wants to understand exactly what the government does—and doesn't do—in this most critical area. Most people, including many economists, are not aware of the great variety of crucial tasks and invaluable analyses undertaken by government economists. This three-volume set will fill that gap with an all-encompassing overview of the major economics-related work the government performs across all of its agencies and offices. With 45 chapters written by 61 leading experts, the work covers every major topic in government economics, including such diverse areas as monetary policy, defense spending, social assistance, international trade, antitrust, and environmental protection. In addition to entries by those who teach economics, the compendium also features candid observations from government insiders to help readers grasp how things really work. But readers will not only gain insight into specific fields and topics, they will also be able to better understand the big picture and how its pieces fit together. This unique and far-reaching set often challenges conventional wisdom even as it presents a novel synthesis of the government's research, analysis—and actions.

Download or read book Farm Payments written by United States. General Accounting Office and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Sociology of Food and Agriculture written by Michael Carolan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-02-12 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this second edition of The Sociology of Food and Agriculture, students are provided with a substantially revised and updated introductory text to this emergent field. The book begins with the recent development of agriculture under capitalism and neo-liberal regimes, and the transformation of farming and peasant agriculture from a small-scale, family-run way of life to a globalized system. Topics such as the global hunger and obesity challenges, GM foods, and international trade and subsidies are assessed as part of the world food economy. The final section concentrates on themes of sustainability, food security, and food sovereignty. The book concludes on a positive note, examining alternative agri-food movements aimed at changing foodscapes at levels from the local to the global. With increased coverage of the financialization of food, food and culture, gender, ethnicity and justice, food security, and food sovereignty, the book is perfect for students with little or no background in sociology and is also suitable for more advanced courses as a comprehensive primer. All chapters include learning objectives, suggested discussion questions, and recommendations for further reading to aid student learning.

Download or read book OECD Food and Agricultural Reviews Innovation Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability in the United States written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2016-11-10 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The US food and agriculture sector is innovative, competitive and export-oriented. Maintaining high productivity growth in light of changes in national and global demand, while improving the sustainable use of resources, will nonetheless require further innovation.

Download or read book The Rise of Women Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture written by Carolyn Sachs and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2016-05-15 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A profound shift is occurring among women working in agriculture—they are increasingly seeing themselves as farmers, not only as the wives or daughters of farmers. The authors draw on more than a decade of research to document and analyze the reasons for the transformation. As their sense of identity changes, many female farmers are challenging the sexism they face in their chosen profession. In this book, farm women in the northeastern United States describe how they got into farming and became successful entrepreneurs despite the barriers they encountered in agricultural institutions, farming communities, and even their own families. Their strategies for obtaining land and labor and developing successful businesses offer models for other aspiring farmers. Pulling down the barriers that women face requires organizations and institutions to become informed by what the authors call a feminist agrifood systems theory (FAST). This framework values women’s ways of knowing and working in agriculture: emphasizing personal, economic, and environmental sustainability, creating connections through the food system, and developing networks that emphasize collaboration and peer-to-peer education. The creation and growth of a specific organization, the Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network, offers a blueprint for others seeking to incorporate a feminist agrifood systems approach into agricultural programming. The theory has the potential to shift how farmers, agricultural professionals, and anyone else interested in farming think about gender and sustainability, as well as to change how feminist scholars and theorists think about agriculture.

Download or read book Value added Agricultural Enterprises in Rural Development Strategies written by Tadlock Cowan and published by Nova Publishers. This book was released on 2003 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: U.S. Agriculture is also changing rapidly from a sector characterised by production of undifferentiated bulk commodities sold in spot markets to one of specialised markets driven by new end-user demands. As production shifts away from commodity agriculture to product agriculture, vertically integrated agribusiness firms are increasingly organising production into agro-food value chains to synchronise all stages of production from seed to supermarket. Value-added production is a central element of agro-food value chain, and control over specific "identity preserved"(IP) trait is basic to the development of product agriculture. Many farmers and ranchers are beginning to consider how they might reorganise their operation to better anticipate these changes and to participate in them, for example, by forming "new generation" value-added co-operatives, and engaging in increased contract production as sources of new markets, lowered risks, and higher farm and ranch incomes. Emerging opportunities for biomass-based fuels and materials processing facilities, new food processing plants, and alternative farming system (e.g., organic) could create important new markets for producers. Smaller-scale producers find new opportunities in regionally branded products, farmers markets, new speciality crops, ethic markets, or in establishing direct marketing links between farms an regional groceries. This new book examines the status of this important development.

Download or read book Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers written by Sapna Elizabeth Thottathil and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-08-28 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Institutions like schools, hospitals, and universities are not well known for having quality, healthy food. In fact, institutional food often embodies many of the worst traits of our industrialized food system, with long supply chains that are rife with environmental and social problems and growing market concentration in many stages of food production and distribution. Recently, however, non-profit organizations, government agencies, university research institutes, and activists have partnered with institutions to experiment with a wide range of more ethical and sustainable models for food purchasing, also known as values-based procurement. Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers brings together in-depth case studies from several of promising models of institutional food purchasing that aim to be more sustainable, healthy, equitable, and local. With chapters written by a diverse set of authors, including leaders in the food movement and policy researchers, this book: Documents growing interest among non-profit organizations and activists in institutional food interventions through case studies and first-hand experiences; Highlights emerging evidence about how these new procurement models affect agro-food supply chains; and Examines the role of policy and regional or geographic identity in promoting food systems change. Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers makes the case that institutions can use their budgets to change the food system for the better, although significant challenges remain. It is a must read for food systems practitioners, food chain researchers, and foodservice professionals interested in values-based procurement.

Download or read book Structural and Financial Characteristics of U S Farms written by and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Real Cost of Cheap Food written by Michael Carolan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-30 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This challenging but accessible book critically examines the dominant food regime on its own terms, by seriously asking whether we can afford cheap food and exploring what exactly cheap food affords us. Detailing the numerous ways that food has become reduced to a state, such as a price per ounce, combination of nutrients, yield per acre, or calories, the book argues for a more contextual understanding of food when debating its affordability. The author makes a compelling case for why today's global food system produces just the opposite of what it promises. The food produced under this regime is in fact exceedingly expensive. Thus meat production and consumption are inefficient uses of resources and contribute to climate change; the use of pesticides in industrial-scale agriculture may produce cheap food, but there are hidden costs to environmental protection, human health and biodiversity conservation. Many of these costs will be paid for by future generations – cheap food today may mean expensive food tomorrow. By systematically assessing these costs the book delves into issues related, but not limited, to international development, national security, health care, industrial meat production, organic farming, corporate responsibility, government subsidies, food aid and global commodity markets. The book concludes by suggesting ways forward, going beyond the usual solutions such as farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and community gardens. Exploding the myth of cheap food requires we have at our disposal a host of practices and policies. Some of those proposed and explored include microloans, subsidies for consumers, vertical agriculture, and the democratization of subsidies for producers.

Download or read book A Billion Dollars a Day written by E. Wesley F. Peterson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-04-27 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Billion Dollars a Day “This text provides a good narrative on the economics of government intervention, the structure of the world food system and history of the WTO, and the provision of farm subsidies by developed economies, with a special focus on the U.S. and EU.” P. Lynn Kennedy, Louisiana State University “This extremely well-researched and documented book provides a comprehensive overview of the impact (both intentional and unintentional) that developed nations’ agricultural policies can have on underdeveloped agricultural-based nations.” Jay E. Noel, Cal Poly State University “This text’s discussion and explanation of subsidies is well developed in a historical and international context that is not found elsewhere.” Conrad Lyford, Texas Tech University “Peterson has done a nice job of taking complicated issues and explaining them in a manner that is understandable for students with limited background in policy, development, and trade. This well-written text brings both a U.S. and a world perspective to the timely and important topics of government farm policy and food prices.” Rick Whitacre, Illinois State University Why do Europe, the United States, and some key Asian countries spend, in aggregate, a billion dollars a day on various agricultural price supports, when much of this money ends up in the hands of large agribusiness? In a lively, non-technical, and up-to-date account, this book addresses the core questions that surround the issues of agricultural subsidies. Peterson provides a detailed examination of subsidy histories and the current policies of the United States, various European countries, Australia and New Zealand, and Korea and Japan. Also included is a discussion of how these policies affect developing countries – examining, in particular, their impact on farmers in low-income countries.

Download or read book Farm Commodity Programs written by William Lin and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: