Recently added articles from Amber Waves:
A Pilot Program for U.S. Food Aid
Nov 01, 2008; ... The sharp rise in food and fuel prices since 2006 has added to existing concerns about food security in developing countries. According to ERS research, the number of food insecure people (those consuming below the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization's recommended level of ...
Lasting Influence of BSE on U.S. Protein Feed Markets
Nov 01, 2008; ... Few would argue against the need to reduce the risks from the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) among cattle or to people in its human form, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The profound effects of these diseases, coupled with concerns about a loss of trust in the ...
Stabilizing Federal Support for Emergency Food Providers
Nov 01, 2008; ... Food pantries, soup kitchens, and other emergency food providers are grappling with rising food prices and uncertain commodity donations. Many providers, reporting an increase in requests for assistance as well as higher operating costs, are concerned about having to turn away those in need. A ...
2008 Farm Act Makes It Easier for Food Assistance Households To Save
Nov 01, 2008; ... USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, helps low-income households maintain a nutritious diet and meet other expenses when their budgets are strained. To qualify for benefits, however, households cannot exceed program-specified resource ...
Conservation Reserve Program Acreage To Decline; Will Benefits Also Fall?
Nov 01, 2008; ... The 2008 Farm Act continues a trend started in 2002 to emphasize land conservation as well as land retirement by encouraging good practices on land in production. For 2008-12, the Congressional Budget Office projects funding for land retirement programs (the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) ...
Conservation Program Provision May Have Limited Impact on Underserved Farmer Participation
Nov 01, 2008; ... Several provisions of the 2008 Farm Act target traditionally underserved groups-beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers-in an attempt to increase their access to conservation funds, farm loans, crop insurance, and other farm programs. The effect of such provisions often ...
New Payment Limits, Lower Income Cap Unlikely To Have Significant Impact
Nov 01, 2008; ... Limits on farm commodity program payments have been in effect since 1970, although they have evolved over time. Under the 2002 Farm Act, total payments from the direct, counter-cyclical, and marketing loan programs could not exceed $360,000 annually for married couples or farmers with multiple ...
Child Health and Well-Being Differ for Metro and Nonmetro Low-Income Households
Nov 01, 2008; ... According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the Nation's poverty rate increased from 12.3 percent in 2006 to 12.5 percent in 2007. As has historically been the case, children made up a disproportionate share of that increase as well as of the total number of poor people across the U.S. The poverty ...
Fluctuating Food Commodity Prices
Nov 01, 2008; ... A Complex Issue With No Easy Answers * Prices for food commodities increased sharply over the past 2 years. * Rising food demand in developing countries outpaced production growth of major food commodities, and demand for global stockholding has fallen. * Other factors ...
New Market Realities Affect Crop Program Choices
Nov 01, 2008; ... * Even as farmers enjoy record-high commodity prices and income, they face an array of risks, including high production costs and greater price volatility. * Rising crop prices lead to increased Federal crop insurance coverage but reduce the likelihood of commodity program payments based ...
Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?
Nov 01, 2008; ... * Low-income households that receive maximum benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program usually have the purchasing power necessary to afford healthy diets; others may not. * Relative to other households, low-income households must allocate a higher share of both their ...
Market Failures: When the Invisible Hand Gets Shaky
Nov 01, 2008; ... * The enormously complicated problem of deciding where and how all of society's resources might best be used is usually solved by individuals following their own self-interest in markets largely free of government oversight. * Markets fail when exchanges between willing buyers and ...
2008 Farm Act: Where Will the Money Go?
Nov 01, 2008; ... The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Act), enacted into law in June 2008, will govern the bulk of Federal agriculture and related programs for the next 5 years. The Act's 15 titles include administrative and funding authorities for programs that cover income and commodity price ...
Consumer Preferences Change Wheat Flour Use
Sep 01, 2008; ... After 5 years of declining flour use in the U.S., ERS estimates an increase in per capita wheat flour use to 137.9 pounds in 2007, up 2.3 pounds from a year earlier. The 2007 total is still down 8.9 pounds from its high in 1997. ERS calculates per capita use by dividing the total annual ...
What's Behind the Surge in Global Rice Prices?
Sep 01, 2008; ... U.S. and global rice prices surged to record highs this spring. Thailand's high-quality long-grain rice-a benchmark for global trading prices-exceeded $1,000 per ton in late April 2008, double its price in early February and triple prices of a year earlier. U.S. prices soared as well, with ...
Use of Nutrition Labels Declining, Especially Among Young Adults
Sep 01, 2008; ... For more than 10 years, Americans have had access to standardized nutrition information on almost all packaged foods. The current format of the Nutrition Facts panel was introduced in 1994, following the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990. In addition, Federal regulators placed ...
Despite Higher Food Prices, Percent of U.S. Income Spent on Food Remains Constant
Sep 01, 2008; ... Over the past 2 years, U.S. food prices have risen faster than at any time since 1990. Prices for all food purchased in the U.S. increased 4.0 percent in 2007, up from the 2.4-percent gain in 2006. The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics collects price data for food ...
Rapid Growth in Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops Continues in U.S.
Sep 01, 2008; ... U.S. farmers have rapidly adopted genetically engineered (GE) soybeans, cotton, and corn with herbicide tolerance and/or insect resistance traits over the 13 years since their commercial introduction. According to ERS research, U.S. farmers are realizing economic benefits from GE crops, ...
Fee Hunting May Boost Farm Income, Wildlife Habitat
Sep 01, 2008; ... Hunting is a recreation activity that mostly occurs on private land, where the right to hunt is controlled by landowners. In most cases, such use of private land is arranged through personal contacts. However, some U.S. landowners market hunting opportunities by managing wildlife on their ...
U.S. Organic Handlers Mostly Small, Focus on Fruit and Vegetables
Sep 01, 2008; ... Retail sales of organic food increased an average of 17 percent annually between 1995 and 2006. This growth was accompanied by significant changes in organic food marketing. Organic versions of conventional brands (such as Organic Rice Krispies) and private label organic products are now ...