USDA ERS

Scale Economies Provide Advantages to Large Dairy Farms

August 11, 2020 James M. MacDonald, USDA Economic Research Service

While herd size is not the only factor that matters for production costs, these scale-related cost differences are important. As a result, larger farms are more likely to realize positive net financial returns to milk production, even though their average revenues per hundredweight of milk produced are, on average, somewhat smaller than the revenues of smaller farms. …

Retail Food Prices Less Volatile Than Farm and Wholesale Prices

May 5, 2020 Gianna Short, USDA ERS

Corn, wheat, and soybeans are the top three U.S. field crops, and they comprise the majority of field crop inputs to the U.S. food supply. The average farm price of these crops, weighted by their production volumes, regularly rises or falls by more than 10 percent from year to year. …

Food Loss: Why Food Stays On the Farm or Off the Market

April 13, 2020 USDA ERS

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service (ERS) identified a variety of economic factors that influence growers or distributors in their decisions regarding food loss. …

Imported Greenhouse Tomatoes From Mexico Illustrate the Growing Diversity in Fresh-Market Tomatoes

May 7, 2019 Travis Minor, Sarah Baskins, and Jennifer K. Bond, USDA ERS

Growing imports, changing consumer demographics and tastes, and emerging production technology are among the major factors shaping the fresh tomato market. …

Specialized Stores Serving WIC Customers in California Improve Food Access Without Raising Food Costs

May 2, 2019 Patrick W. McLaughlin, USDA ERS

In California, the largest State WIC program, A50 stores play a significant role in the program, redeeming one-third of the value of the State’s WIC benefits in 2012. …