The core research and data program of the Economic Research Service covers the breadth of USDA programs touched by the Farm Bill: farming, nutrition, conservation, rural development, research, and energy. Below we highlight some recent research focusing on these issues.

• Access to Food and Nutrition Assistance
• Beginning, Socially Disadvantaged, and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
• Commodity Programs and Risk Management
  • Commodity Programs
  • Crop Insurance
  • Cross-Cutting Issues
• Conservation & Climate
• Credit
• Energy
• Research
• Rural Development
• Specialty Crops, Organic, Local Foods, Horticulture
  • Organic
  • Local Foods
• Trade

Access to Food and Nutrition Assistance

• 📈 Charts of Note: Food Access
• 📈 Charts of Note: Food Security in the U.S.
• 📈 Charts of Note: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• Household Food Security in the United States in 2023, September 2024 New
• The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report , June 2024
  • "SNAP Spending Rose and Fell With Pandemic-Era Changes to Benefit Amounts," Amber Waves, June 2024
• Comparing Food Insecurity Among the U.S. Military and Civilian Adult Populations , April 2024
• Household Food Insecurity Across Race and Ethnicity in the United States, 2016–21 , April 2024
• The Impacts of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Redemptions on County-Level Employment , May 2019
  • "SNAP Redemptions Contributed to Employment During the Great Recession," Amber Waves, May 2019
• Impact of USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Rural and Urban Economies in the Aftermath of the Great Recession , October 2021
  • "USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Contributed to Rural Economic Output, Jobs Following the Great Recession," Amber Waves, December 2021
• Super Stores’ Impact on the Availability of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Approved Stores , June 2021
  • "New Super Stores Slightly Expanded Purchasing Power for Participants in USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)," Amber Waves, June 2021
• Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19 , June 2022
  • "Updated Food Access Research Atlas Now Maps Changes in Low-Income and Low-Supermarket Access Areas in 2019," Amber Waves, June 2021
• Food Insecurity Among Working-Age Veterans , May 2021
• COVID-19 Working Paper: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Redemptions during the Coronavirus Pandemic , March 2021
  • "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Online Purchasing Expanded in First Two Years of Pandemic," Amber Waves, September 2022
• "Higher Vehicle Exclusions and Asset Limits in SNAP May Encourage Asset Accumulation Among Low-Income Households," Amber Waves, March 2019
• Design Issues in USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Looking Ahead by Looking Back , January 2018

Beginning, Socially Disadvantaged, and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers

• 📈 Charts of Note: Rural Poverty & Well-Being
• 📈 Charts of Note: Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning, Limited Resource, and Female Farmers and Ranchers
• An Overview of Farms Operated by Socially Disadvantaged, Women, and Limited Resource Farmers and Ranchers in the United States , February 2024
  • "USDA Survey Provides Insights Into Farms Operated by Limited Resource Farmers and Ranchers," Amber Waves, October 2024 New
• Access to Farmland by Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers: Issues and Opportunities , December 2022
• "Beginning Farm Operators and Spouses More Likely To Work Off the Farm Than Established Counterparts," Amber Waves, February 2020
• "Much Like Other Americans, Veterans Would Benefit From Improving the Quality of Their Diets," Amber Waves, February 2020
• An Examination of Veterans’ Diet Quality , December 2019
• An Overview of Beginning Farms and Farmers , September 2019

Commodity Programs and Risk Management

• 📈 Charts of Note: Farm & Commodity Policy
• 📈 Charts of Note: Risk Management

Commodity Programs

• Recent Developments in Ad Hoc Assistance Programs for Agricultural Producers , September 2024 New
• "As Drought Threats Continue, Government’s Financial-Climate Risk From Livestock Forage Disaster Program Expected To Increase," Amber Waves, August 2024
• The Stocking Impact and Financial-Climate Risk of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program , January 2024
• Potential Variability in Commodity Support: Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs , August 2019
• "Changes in Commodity-Income Support Programs and Commodity Prices Have Caused Increased Variability in Support Payments," Amber Waves, August 2019
• "Federal Commodity Programs Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage Address Price and Yield Risks Faced by Producers," Amber Waves, August 2018
• Federal Natural Disaster Assistance Programs for Livestock Producers, 2008–2016 , January 2018
• Economic Effects of U.S. Dairy Policy and Alternative Approaches to Milk Pricing , May 2017
• "Historical Analysis of MPP-Dairy Suggests Limited Impact on Average Margins but Considerable Potential for Risk Reduction," Amber Waves, February 2017
• The Effects of the Margin Protection Program for Dairy Producers , September 2016
• "Farm Bill Income Cap for Program Payment Eligibility Affects Few Farms," Amber Waves, August 2016
• Changing Structure, Financial Risks, and Government Policy for the U.S. Dairy Industry , March 2016

Crop Insurance

• Federal Programs for Agricultural Risk Management , December 2023
• "With Expanded Options, Organic Producers of Specialty Crops Increase Use of Federal Risk Management Products," Amber Waves, October 2023
• Wheat Outlook: September 2022 , September 2022
  • Note: See special article, “Factors Influencing Prevented Planting for Spring Wheat” on page 10.
• "Climate Change Projected To Increase Cost of the Federal Crop Insurance Program due to Greater Insured Value and Yield Variability," Amber Waves, November 2019
• "Changes in Farmers' Financial Status May Affect Crop Insurance Demand," Amber Waves, November 2016
• Federal Crop Insurance Options for Upland Cotton Farmers and Their Revenue Effects , October 2016
• How Do Time and Money Affect Agricultural Insurance Uptake? A New Approach to Farm Risk Management Analysis , August 2016
• The 2014 Farm Act Agriculture Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage, and Supplemental Coverage Option Programs' Effects on Crop Revenue , January 2016
• "Federal Crop Insurance Is Associated With Higher Levels of Short-Term Farm Debt," Amber Waves, October 2015
• "The Importance of Federal Crop Insurance Premium Subsidies," Amber Waves, October 2014
• The Effects of Premium Subsidies on Demand for Crop Insurance , July 2014

Cross-Cutting Issues

• U.S. Agricultural Policy Review, 2022 , November 2023
• U.S. Agricultural Policy Review, 2021 , February 2023
• Specialty Crop Participation in Federal Risk Management Programs , September 2022
• Farm Use of Futures, Options, and Marketing Contracts , October 2020
• Climate Change and Agricultural Risk Management Into the 21st Century , July 2019
• Federal Risk Management Tools for Agricultural Producers: An Overview , June 2018
• The Evolving Distribution of Payments From Commodity, Conservation, and Federal Crop Insurance Programs , November 2017
• "Applications for the Noninsured Crop Disaster Program Increased After the Agricultural Act of 2014," Amber Waves, July 2017
• Changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Under the Agricultural Act of 2014: Their Potential Risk Reduction Impacts , May 2017
• Farm Household Income Volatility: An Analysis Using Panel Data From a National Survey , February 2017
• "Managing Agricultural Risk Under Different Scenarios: Selected 2014 Farm Act Programs," Amber Waves, February 2017
• "Agriculture Risk Coverage Program Proves More Popular Than the Supplemental Coverage Option," Amber Waves, January 2016
• The 2014 Farm Act Agriculture Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage, and Supplemental Coverage Option Programs' Effects on Crop Revenue , January 2016
• "2014 Farm Act Shifts Crop Commodity Programs Away From Fixed Payments and Expands Program Choices," Amber Waves, July 2014

Conservation & Climate

• 📈 Charts of Note: Climate Change
• 📈 Charts of Note: Conservation Programs
• 📈 Charts of Note: Irrigation & Water Use
• 📈 Charts of Note: Natural Resources & Environment
• 📈 The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is regionally concentrated, Charting the Essentials, January 2023
• Land Use of Rejected, Enrolled, and Expiring Fields in the Conservation Reserve Program , August 2024
• Utility-Scale Solar and Wind Development in Rural Areas: Land Cover Change (2009–20) , May 2024
• Cover Crops on Livestock Operations: Potential for Expansion in the United States , May 2024
• Farmland Rental and Conservation Practice Adoption , March 2024
• The Stocking Impact and Financial-Climate Risk of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program , January 2024
• Rotational Grazing Adoption by Cow-Calf Operations , November 2022
• USDA Conservation Technical Assistance and Within-Field Resource Concerns , May 2022
• "Producers' Net Costs Influence Offers to USDA's Conservation Reserve Program," Amber Waves, April 2022
• "Cover Crops Can Influence Soil Health, Even Within the First Few Years After Adoption," Amber Waves, March 2022
• Cover Practice Definitions and Incentives in the Conservation Reserve Program , February 2022
• "Energy Pricing Structures Promote Increased Use of Scarce Groundwater Resources in the High Plains Aquifer Region," Amber Waves, February 2022
• Irrigation Organizations: Drought Planning and Response , January 2022
• Trends in U.S. Irrigated Agriculture: Increasing Resilience Under Water Supply Scarcity , December 2021
• Irrigation Organizations: Water Storage and Delivery Infrastructure , October 2021
• Cover Crop Trends, Programs, and Practices in the United States , February 2021
• "Incentives to Retire Water Rights Have Reduced Stress on the High Plains Aquifer," Amber Waves, October 2020
• "In Recent Years, Most Expiring Land in the Conservation Reserve Program Returned to Crop Production," Amber Waves, February 2020
• The Fate of Land in Expiring Conservation Reserve Program Contracts, 2013-16 , January 2020
• "2018 Farm Act Retains Conservation Programs But Could Reduce Payments for Land Retirement," Amber Waves, December 2019
• "Conservation Practices With Greater Benefits to Farmers and Ranchers Have Higher EQIP Completion Rates," Amber Waves, June 2019
• Working Lands Conservation Contract Modifications: Patterns in Dropped Practices , March 2019
• Development, Adoption, and Management of Drought-Tolerant Corn in the United States , January 2019

Credit

• 📈 Charts of Note: Farm Economy
• "Increases in U.S. Farm Debt and Interest Expenses Minimally Affect Sector’s Financial Position in the Short-Term, as Measured by Liquidity and Solvency Ratios," Amber Waves, August 2023
• "More Microloans Issued in Regions With Higher Concentrations of Small Farms and Beginning Farmers, Women, and Minorities," Amber Waves, April 2018
• "Nearly 14,000 USDA Microloans Issued Between 2013 and 2015," Amber Waves, March 2017
• USDA Microloans for Farmers: Participation Patterns and Effects of Outreach , December 2016

Energy

• 📈 Charts of Note: Bioenergy
• The Role of Commercial Energy Payments in Agricultural Producer Income , April 2024
• Global Demand for Fuel Ethanol Through 2030 , February 2023
• Ownership of Oil and Gas Rights: Implications for U.S. Farm Income and Wealth , June 2018
• Dedicated Energy Crops and Competition for Agricultural Land , January 2017

Research

• 📈 Charts of Note: Agricultural Research and Productivity
• "Investment in U.S. Public Agricultural Research and Development Has Fallen by a Third Over Past Two Decades, Lags Major Trade Competitors," Amber Waves, June 2022
• "Agricultural Research in High-Income Countries Faces New Challenges as Public Funding Stalls," Amber Waves, May 2018

Rural Development

• 📈 Charts of Note: Population & Migration
• 📈 Charts of Note: Rural Classifications
• 📈 Charts of Note: Rural Economy & Population
• 📈 Charts of Note: Rural Poverty & Well-Being
• America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2023 Edition , December 2023
• "Who is Served by USDA Rural Broadband Projects? Study Shows Smaller Share of Eligible American Indians and Alaska Natives Reached by ReConnect," Amber Waves, December 2023
• Rural America at a Glance: 2023 Edition , November 2023
• Rural America at a Glance: 2022 Edition , November 2022
• "The Most Rural Counties Have the Fewest Health Care Services Available," Amber Waves, August 2022
• "Self-Employed Workers Are Less Likely To Have Health Insurance Than Those Employed by Private Firms, Governments," Amber Waves, July 2022
• "Rural Businesses That Receive USDA Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans Less Likely To Fail," Amber Waves, September 2019
• Rural Individuals' Telehealth Practices: An Overview , November 2018
• "Innovation Can Make Rural Manufacturers More Resilient," Amber Waves, October 2018

Specialty Crops, Organic, Local Foods, Horticulture

• 📈 Charts of Note: Organic Agriculture
• 📈 Charts of Note: Local Foods

Organic

• "USDA Created Organic Assistance Programs From 2021–23 in Response to Disruptions, Decreased Organic Transitioning Acreage," Amber Waves, March 2024
• "With Expanded Options, Organic Producers of Specialty Crops Increase Use of Federal Risk Management Products," Amber Waves, October 2023
• U.S. Organic Production, Markets, Consumers, and Policy, 2000–21 , March 2023
• "Organic Dairy and Beef Producers Face Limited Markets, Feed Grain Shortages," Amber Waves, November 2022
• Organic Feed Grains and Livestock: Factors That Influence Outcomes in Thinly Traded Markets , February 2022

Local Foods

• America's Diverse Family Farms: 2021 Edition , December 2021
• "Local Food Sales Continue to Grow Through a Variety of Marketing Channels," Amber Waves, October 2021
• Marketing Practices and Financial Performance of Local Food Producers: A Comparison of Beginning and Experienced Farmers , August 2021

Trade

• "Global Fertilizer Market Challenged by Russia's Invasion of Ukraine," Amber Waves, September 2023
• United Kingdom Agricultural Production and Trade Policy Post-Brexit , February 2023