A Competitive Agricultural System

Overview

• Food and agricultural systems operate in a highly competitive global context, and the United States is a major player in these international markets—the U.S. share of the global market for agricultural goods averages just over 20 percent.
• Since U.S. farms produce far beyond domestic demand for many crops, maintaining a competitive agricultural system is critical to ensuring the economic viability of U.S. agriculture.
• At the same time, U.S. agriculture is a diverse economic sector. Differences in commodity type, farm size, operator and household characteristics, and even goals for farming affect the competitiveness of individual operations and ultimately of the sector as a whole.
• In recent years, new developments in technology, shifts in domestic policy, and changes in the rules of trade have altered the competitive landscape of global agriculture and the challenges facing American farmers.
• More overview...

ERS research focuses on these and other economic issues affecting the U.S. food and agriculture sector's competitiveness, including factors related to performance, structure, risk and uncertainty, marketing, and market and nonmarket trade barriers.

Related Briefing Rooms

• Special topics:
  Agricultural Baseline Projections
  Agricultural Research and Productivity
  Animal Production and Marketing Issues
  Bioenergy
  Farm and Commodity Policy
  Farm Income and Costs
  Farm Risk Management
  Farm Structure
  Global Food Markets
  Global Food Security
  Invasive Species Management
  Macroeconomics and Agriculture
  NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), Canada, and Mexico
  Organic Agriculture
  U.S. Agricultural Trade
  World Trade Organization (WTO)

Features

• Food Security Assessment, 2008-09, Global Food Assessment Report, June 2009
• Emerging Issues in the Organic Industry, Economic Information Bulletin, June 2009
• China's Ongoing Agricultural Modernization: Challenges Remain After 30 Years of Reform, Economic Information Bulletin, April 2009

Recommended Readings

• Ethanol Co-Product Use in U.S. Cattle Feeding: Lessons Learned and Considerations, Feed Outlook special report, April 2009
• The 2008/2009 World Economic Crisis: What It Means for U.S. Agriculture, International Agriculture and Trade Report, March 2009
• NAFTA at 15: Building on Free Trade, International Agriculture and Trade Report, March 2009
• USDA Agricultural Projections to 2018, USDA Office of the Chief Economist, February 2009
• 2008 Farm Bill Side-By-Side, web feature, August 2008

See all recommended readings...

Recommended Data Products

• Agricultural Outlook Statistical Indicators (formerly provided in Agricultural Outlook magazine)
• Feed Grains Database
• Farm Business and Household Survey Data: Customized Data Summaries from ARMS (the Agricultural Resource Management Survey)
• Commodity Costs and Returns

See all recommended data products...

Outlook Reports

ERS develops outlook reports, many of which are issued monthly, highlighting timely developments in U.S. and global markets. Commodity-based outlook reports include:

• cotton and wool
• feed grains
• oil crops
• wheat
• rice
• fruit and tree nuts
• vegetables and melons
• sugar and sweeteners
• livestock, dairy, and poultry

We also issue the Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade and Agricultural Income and Finance. See the 2009 calendar of releases.

Related Links

USDA agencies and other government organizations of interest in the area of agricultural competitiveness.

See all related links...