[Agriculture Fact Book 98]

Economic Research Service

As the Department’s economic research agency, the Economic Research Service (ERS) provides information and analysis that is used by public officials in developing, administering, and evaluating agricultural and rural policies and programs, as well as by farmers and consumers. ERS has recently analyzed and reported on the economics of issues and decisions associated with trade liberalization, food assistance, climate change, rural credit, water quality, vertical coordination in agricultural industries, rural empowerment zones, U.S. agricultural productivity, new meat inspection systems, nutrition information, exports of U.S. farm products, rural population trends, and food safety concerns.

Overall, the scope of the ERS research and monitoring program covers a broad spectrum including the following areas:

• Domestic and international agriculture
• Nutrition education and food assistance, food safety regulation, determinants of consumer demand for quality and safety of food, and food marketing trends and developments
• Agricultural resource and environmental issues
• National, rural, and agricultural conditions affecting the rural economy, the financial performance of the farm sector, and the implications of changing farm credit and financial market structures

ERS-produced information is available to the public through research reports, situation and outlook reports, electronic media, newspapers, magazines, radio, and frequent participation of ERS staff at public forums. In addition, ERS publishes several periodicals, including Agricultural Outlook, FoodReview, Rural Conditions and Trends, and Rural Development Perspectives. All such ERS reports are available through a variety of formats. Printed reports can be ordered through the ERS-NASS sales desk at 1-800-999-6779. Many reports, data bases, and other types of information are available on the ERS web site at www.ers.usda.gov and the ERS AutoFax system at 202-694-5700.

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