Farmers have adapted to rising energy prices and evolving policies by adjusting their use of energy-based agricultural inputs, altering energy-intensive production practices, and growing more energy-feedstock crops.

New online mapping tool measures access to affordable, nutritious food by census tract, using indicators such as distance to grocery stores and vehicle availability, and updates previous estimates of food desert census tracts.

Farms in more drought-prone areas are more likely to offer land to the Conservation Reserve Program or participate in other conservation programs. If climate change increases drought risk, farmer interest in these programs will likely grow.

The number of women farm operators has tripled in the last three decades. From 1982 to 2007, the number of female-operated farms increased by184,000, while male-operated farms declined by 220,800.

ERS examined survey data to determine if the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) changes the diet quality of program participants, and to compare the diet quality of low-income adult participants and nonparticipants in SNAP.

By buying lower price products, households can withstand price and income changes without reducing overall fluid milk consumption. Demand for organic milk responds more to swings in income and food prices than does conventional milk demand.

ERS updated the farm typology to reflect commodity price inflation and a shift in production toward larger farms. The revised typology (now measuring by gross cash farm income) slightly increases the share of farms classified as small.

U.S. beef markets are undergoing rapid change as alternative production systems evolve in response to consumer demands and compete with conventional grain-fed beef production.

In FY 2012, about 1 in 4 Americans participated in at least one of USDA's 15 food and nutrition assistance programs. Expenditures for these programs totaled $106.7 billion, 3 percent more than the previous fiscal year.

Net farm income for 2013 is forecast at $128.2 billion, up nearly 14 percent from the 2012 revised forecast. This year’s net farm income is expected to be the highest since 1973 after adjusting for inflation.