Very little is known about how household challenges impact the farm business. Directly connected to this knowledge gap is a limited understanding of the ways in which existing social programs and policies (which are specifically designed to meet these needs) may support farm sector profitability, survivability, and resilience. To help close this knowledge gap, the USDA’s Economic Research Service and Farm Foundation  hosted a one-day, virtual conference on September 13, 2023 focused on U.S. farm households’ social and economic needs.

Through a mix of paper presentations and panel discussions, the goal of  U.S. Farm Households’ Social and Economic Needs and the Future of Agriculture  was to:

1) Broaden the long-standing body of work seeking to understand why, how, and which farm families are able to cultivate successful farm businesses in the face of on-going changes and the inherent instability of the agricultural sector,
2) Initiate the scientific debate on the linkages between farm households’ social and economic needs, social policies, and farm business development,
3) Develop new networks of family farm scholars working on these topics,
4) Better understand data available to understand these relationships, as well as identify data gaps.

ACCESS CONFERENCE SLIDES AND PRESENTATION RECORDINGS ON THE EVENT WEBSITE

VIEW THE CONFERENCE SESSIONS ON YOUTUBE

Post-Event Report

Farm Household Needs Directly Affect Farm Business Viability

Potential Research Questions Connected to the Theme

What are farm households’ lived realities meeting their social and economic needs?

In what ways do the social and economic needs of the household shape decisions connected to the farm operation’s production and marketing decisions?

How do gender, race, ethnicity, and geography intersect with and influence farm household’s social and economic needs and the farm enterprise experiences, decision-making and trajectory?

To what extent can federal and state social safety net programs and policies bolster and increase the profitability, viability, survivability, or resilience of the farm operation?

What theoretical, data and/or methodological limitations are limiting the exploration of farm families’ lived realities meeting their social and economic needs and the intersection with farm business development and viability?

Important Dates

Submissions deadline for papers – July 20, 2023

Submitters notified of decision – by August 7, 2023

Conference date – September 13, 2023

Conference contributors will also have the opportunity to submit a paper for inclusion in a special issue of the journal Agriculture and Human Values. The deadline for the submission of papers for consideration in the special issue is November 30, 2023.

The post U.S. Farm Households’ Social and Economic Needs and the Future of Agriculture appeared first on Farm Foundation.

To address supply chain and logistics issues—in food and agriculture and applicable to other industrial sectors—Farm Foundation has been a founding member of the Supply Chain Optimization & Resilience (SCORe) Coalition. The SCORe Coalition is building an ecosystem of supply chain participants, including port and rail operators, carriers, government and intergovernmental organizations. An element of the SCORe Coalition is the establishment of standardized digital data solutions for supply chains in a process being led by ASTM, the 100-year-old leading institution in standards formation.

Through this work, Farm Foundation is bringing its proven Interoperable Data to Enhance Agriculture (IDEA) Approach to the development of digital supply chain solutions that can be standardized by ASTM and promoted through the SCORe Coalition for adoption across industry. IDEA aligns the efforts of organizations like the Farm Foundation, Purdue University’s Open Ag Technology & Systems (OATS) Center, OpenTEAM, AgGateway and others. The IDEA Approach has been used for transportation supply chains including land, rail, ocean, and port, as well as for products like fresh produce (strawberries), livestock (pork, cattle), soil health.

Related Events

March 2021,The Great Pork Hackathon Series  

This was the first of a three-part hackathon series intended to solve problems for the pork industry through creating lasting code that will improve data flow and processes through open source interoperability.

August 2021, Regenerative Ranching Data Round Up

The Regenerative Ranching Data Round Up gathered a large, diverse, and global group of regenerative ranchers, landholders, value chain partners, software providers, conservationists and land trust representatives, scientists, academics and more to link the information flows necessary to implement and scale the practice of regenerative grazing. Participants placed ‘sticky-notes’ on a virtual whiteboard to develop a community-led understanding of the regenerative ranching sector and highlight common data challenges.

August 2022, Fixing the Soil Health Tech Stack: Gathering for Action

Fixing the Soil Health Tech Stack: Gathering for Action was a two-day virtual conference that was held August 23-24, 2022. It was comprised of three interwoven activities: a soil sampling campaign, a soil data hack, and the “Fixing the Soil Health Tech Stack” virtual conference. The “Soil Health Tech Stack” is a term coined by Seana Day in an article that outlines the challenges she sees based on, among other things, her work co-authoring the USFRA Transformative Investment report about how technology and finance could scale climate smart, soil-centric agriculture practices as well as on information gathered during the Farm Foundation Regenerative Ranching Data Round Up. The “Fixing the Soil Health Tech Stack” activities will build upon those efforts and others. As such, the event will leverage pasture/rangeland data but with the goal of extending solutions to all soil-based agriculture production ecosystems.

November 2022, Where’s My Stuff?: Supply Chain Virtual Event Storming

Farm Foundation, in partnership with the Supply Chain Optimization and Resilience (SCORe) Coalition/ASTM standards development process, held a multistakeholder, virtual event on November 7 and 8, 2022, that focused on creating shared understanding of the role standardized, interoperable digital data can play in the supply chain.

 October 2023, Building Beta Data Management Protocols for Soil Carbon GHG Quantification

To assist USDA in initial designs for their “Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Quantification Program,” Purdue Open Ag Technology and Systems Center (OATS), Semios, The Mixing Bowl, and Farm Foundation are hosting the Building Beta Data Management Protocols for Soil Carbon GHG Quantification virtual “event storming” which will take place on October 24, 2023.

Collaborate with Us

The post Data Interoperability appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Upcoming Events:

Agricultural Policy, Economics, and Diverse Farms and Farmers Virtual Conference, will be a two-day event on Tuesday, March 5th, and Wednesday, March 6th, 2024, focused on diversity and agricultural policy.

The understanding about issues surrounding equity and inclusion in agricultural programs is currently limited. This includes how different farmer characteristics interact with agricultural policy to shape producer enrollment and participation in government programs, the allocation of resources for producer support, program access and eligibility, as well as evaluation and reform.

Through a mix of panel discussions and paper presentations, the goal of this conference is to:

• Expand on the existing knowledge base of how diversity in U.S. agriculture, both of farmers and farm operations, interacts with agricultural policy
• Initiate discussion on farmer equity and inclusion in U.S. agricultural policy
• To better understand data available to explore these linkages, as well as identify data gaps
• Foster networks of researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals working on these issues

Call for Abstracts:

We invite submission of research papers at the intersection of agricultural policy and the diverse characteristics of U.S. farms and farmers. Submissions from researchers and students from minority-serving institutions are especially encouraged. The deadline for submissions for consideration for this conference is Thursday, January 25, 2024. 

LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT

Important Dates:

• Call for submissions deadline/abstracts due: Thursday, January 25, 2024
• Submitters notified of decision: Tuesday, January 30, 2024
• Conference dates: Tuesday, March 5, 2024–Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The post Emerging Research on Agricultural Policy and Diverse Farms and Farmers appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Individual firms, industries, and national regulatory bodies take different approaches towards the same goals of sustainability and circularity for the production and trade in food and agricultural products. Emerging sustainability regulations require understanding and adaptation by agribusiness, in order to maintain agricultural trade flows.

This initiative will support the design, plan, and implementation of workshops and seminars to stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers on scientific and technical options to address challenges arising from the implementation of new regulatory mandates on sustainability and circular economy themes.

Workshops, Seminars, and Other Related Outputs

In October 2022, Farm Foundation Vice President of Programs and Projects, Martha King, attended the SIAL meeting in Paris and met with key commodity groups and their representatives.

In October 2022, Farm Foundation launched the Hôtel de Talleyrand Agricultural Trade Policy Dialogues where King moderated an event, “Seeking Common Cause on Dairy,” with U.S. Dairy Export Council President and CEO Krysta Harden and CNIEL Marketing and Intl Director Laurent Damiens.

In May 2023, Farm Foundation was part of a U.S. delegation to Brussels, Belgium, for a series of meetings and tours aiming to create insight around packaging and packaging waste in food and agriculture. As part of the proceedings, Farm Foundation participated in a productive dialogue with members of European Parliament about the potential impact of the EU’s proposed Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation, which if enacted has implications for farmers and producers in the United States. 

The delegation’s agenda included:

• A public lunch dialogue, “The Future of Packaging: Innovations and Challenges in Advancing Sustainability,” hosted by Farm Foundation and Packaging Europe in Brussels, Belgium. The opportunities and challenges posted by the European Commission’s proposed Packing and Packing Waste Regulation (PPWR) was the focus of the conversation.
• Attendance at the “US-EU Dialogue on Sustainable Packaging” event hosted by the European Food Forum and the United States Mission at the European Parliament. Farm Foundation hosted a reception following the event. 
• Tours of Greenyard Group’s fresh cut salad packaging facility to look at changes happening in consumer and transport packaging for produce and a tour of The Coca-Cola Company R&D near Brussels to learn about the multiple efforts happening to reduce single-use plastic waste. 

Read more.

COLLABORATE WITH US

The post US/EU Food and Ag Trade appeared first on Farm Foundation.

About the Workshop

Innovation through investment in public and private research & development (R&D) is the key driver of productivity growth in agriculture. However, in the short term, the increasing frequencies of adverse weather events under climate change have resulted in total factor productivity (TFP) estimates variations from year to year that can hinder our understanding of overall technology advancement. A properly measured TFP indicator can help to inform policy on the patterns of productivity growth and the results of science policy. Furthermore, it can be used to identify the linkages between TFP and climate change, environmental factors, and world trade.

Workshop Priorities and Goals

The workshop will address four key questions:

1. How can different methodologies result in distinct productivity estimates, and does it matter?
2. How does public R&D and patent knowledge stock affect agricultural productivity growth?
3. How does climate change influence agricultural productivity growth and what are the consequences?
4. What are the causes and consequences of agricultural productivity growth?

The workshop also aims to convene and develop a network of researchers who study productivity-related topics to support the ERS research agenda on identifying the causes and effects of agricultural productivity growth. Another goal for this network is to support the quality of ERS productivity data products.

In-person participation in the workshop is restricted to invite-only. The public is invited to view the event live for free via Zoom. Register to access the workshop as a virtual attendee at the link below. Contact us for more information.

REGISTER AS A VIRTUAL ATTENDEE

Meet the Organizers

Farm Foundation leverages the power of collaboration between food and agricultural stakeholders to advance agriculture in positive ways. Our unique approach combines the trust and reliability of a “think tank” with the impact and urgency of a “do tank.”

Virginia Tech took over the responsibility for producing the Global Agricultural Productivity Report® (GAP Report®) in 2019. It was created by the Global Harvest Initiative (GHI), a non-profit founded in 2010 to look at what production agriculture would have to achieve to keep pace with a growing global population.

T­he mission of USDA’s Economic Research Service is to anticipate trends and emerging issues in agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America and to conduct high-quality, objective economic research to inform and enhance public and private decision-making.

ERS shapes its research program and products to serve those who routinely make or influence public policy and program decisions. Key clientele includes White House and USDA policy officials; the U.S. Congress; program administrators/managers; other Federal agencies; State and local government officials; and organizations, including farm and industry groups. ERS research provides context for and informs the decisions that affect the agricultural sector, which in turn benefits everyone with efficient stewardship of our agricultural resources and the economic prosperity of the sector.

About the Global Agricultural Productivity Report®

The annual Global Agricultural Productivity Report is produced by Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in collaboration with partners in the private sector, NGOs, conservation organizations, universities, and global research institutions. The 2022 report, Troublesome Trends and System Shocks, discusses how global agricultural systems are being affected by COVID-19, climate change, extreme weather events, and conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere, driving up prices for food and agricultural inputs.

DOWNLOAD THE 2022 GAP REPORT

*This workshop was supported in part by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The findings and conclusions in the presentations are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.

The post Agricultural Productivity Growth: Measurement, Drivers, and Climatic Effects appeared first on Farm Foundation.

The Trade and Climate Change conference is a joint effort of Farm Foundation and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute to explore topics in the context of a global trading environment where climate change policies have become increasingly ambitious and diverse among international players.

This free, virtual conference took place April 7 and 9, 2021. Topics included:

• Climate change policies and their impacts on agricultural production and trade
• Border carbon adjustments as a mechanism for adjudicating among climate change policies amidst global competitors
• How various industry players are adapting to new policies through opportunities like carbon markets and offsets, sustainable sourcing, and investments
• And more—see the full agenda

All sessions were recorded and are now available for viewing on the Farm Foundation YouTube Channel.

This work builds on the recent collaboration between Farm Foundation and CAPI on “Trade and Sustainability” and “Managing Trade in an Increasingly Chaotic World.”

The post Dialogues on Trade and Climate Change appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Emerging Research on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Conference, November 9-10, 2020

This joint effort between Farm Foundation, USDA and the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) set out to examine issues that hinder or facilitate the entry of beginning farmers and ranchers into the agricultural sector, as well as the factors that lead to their success or failure. The Emerging Research on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Conference brought cutting-edge research on issues facing beginning farmers and ranchers to the forefront of discussion in agriculture. Researchers in academia and government, practitioners, policy experts, farmers and ranchers took part in the sessions, which featured paper presentations on research topics such as credit and access to capital, land access, innovation, alternative markets and more. Presentations highlighted successful programs, innovative ideas and future solutions—all with a dedicated focus on economic research into the challenges and opportunities experienced by new agriculture professionals.

Conference slide decks, recordings and other resources can be accessed here.

Training for Success: Resources and Tools for Working with Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, December 10-11, 2020

In partnership with Farm Credit Council, Farm Foundation hosted a conference to bring together organizations and practitioners to showcase resources, tools and success stories for supporting beginning farmers and ranchers. Sessions included Recognizing the Range of Financial Skills Training Methods; Creating Training Communities; New Tools for Practitioners; Entrance Strategy Success Stories; and Supporting Generational Transfers

Conference recordings are available here.

Conference Proceedings Published in Agriculture Finance Review

Agricultural Finance Review, Volume 82, Issue 3 includes research and resources that can help young farmers and ranchers, as well as the industry professionals who support them. Framed by a guest editorial from Jeffery W. Hopkins, chief of USDA’s ERS Farm Economy Branch, research topics covered include:

• Credit constraints, survival and growth
• Land tenure and profitability
• Management and ownership transfer in small and medium family farms
• The landowner role in land access
• Exploring the adoption of technologies among the specialty crops industry
• The profitability implication of sales through local food markets
• Factors that affect entry and exit

Join the Effort

If your organization is interested in partnering with us on initiatives to help beginning farmers and ranchers be successful, please contact us.

The post Beginning Farmers and Ranchers appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Dialogue 1: The Future of the Multilateral System

The two-hour conversation was moderated by Elaine Feldman, Board Member, CAPI. She was joined by panelist Joe Glauber, Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, John Clarke, Director for International Relations DG Agriculture and Rural Development in the European Commission, Peter Clark, President Grey, Clark, Shih and Associates, Limited and Alan Oxley, Founder and Strategic Advisor ITS Global, Consultants on Global Issues Melbourne VIC Australia.

Dialogue 2: Sustainability and Efficient Trade

The two-hour conversation was moderated by Urban Lehner, Board Chair of the International Crane Foundation. He was joined by Rory McAlpine, Senior Vice President, Government and Industry Relations Maple Leaf Foods, Bill Bryant, Founder and Chairman, Bryant Christie, Inc. and Mac Marshall, Vice President, Marketing Intelligence, United Soybean Board.

The post Managing Agricultural Trade in an Increasingly Chaotic World appeared first on Farm Foundation.

Six papers were commissioned for the workshop. A seventh paper, authored by Anthony Homan, was previously published but was included in the workshop because of its high relevance to the topic. The findings and opinions expressed in the papers are those of the authors and do not represent those of Farm Foundation or ERS.  Farm Foundation gratefully acknowledges BNSF Railway for its support of the commissioned papers.  The papers are available below, along with a summary of the findings.

Economically Efficient Composition of Rural Infrastructure Investment
Authors: Mark Burton of the University of Tennessee, and Wesley Wilson of the University of Oregon
Full Paper
Farm Foundation Issue Report summary
Workshop Powerpoint

Economic Impacts, Costs and Benefits of Infrastructure Investment: Lessons from the Literature
Authors: John Pender of USDA’s Economic Research Service, and Max Torero of the World Bank.
Full Paper
Farm Foundation Issue Report summary
Workshop PowerPoint

Infrastructure Project Prioritization in Theory and Practice: Examples in Federal U.S. and International Programs
Authors: Mike Bennon and Rajiv Sharma, both of Stanford University
Full Paper
Farm Foundation Issue Report summary
Workshop PowerPoint

Rank and Selection of Infrastructure Projects: A State and Local Perspective
Authors: David Tanner of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia, and Kent Wolfe of the University of Georgia
Full Paper
Farm Foundation Issue Report summary
Workshop PowerPoint

Value of Rural and Urban Public Infrastructure
Authors: David Albouy of the University of Illinois, and Arash Farahani of the Independent Budget Office of New York City
Full Paper
Farm Foundation Issue Report summary
Workshop PowerPoint

Impacts of the USDA Broadband Loan and Grant Programs: Moving Toward Estimating a Rate of Return
Farm Foundation Issue Report summary
Authors: Mitch Renkow and Ivan Kandilov, both of North Carolina State University
Full Paper
Farm Foundation Issue Report summary
Workshop PowerPoint

Examining Benefit-Cost Analysis in Infrastructure Projects (previously published)
Author: Anthony Homan, Federal Maritime Commission
Full Paper
Workshop PowerPoint

The workshop was an opportunity to review the best available evidence and chart a path towards producing practical research on the economic returns of investments in rural infrastructure, including highways, bridges, railways, broadband, electrical systems, and water and sewer systems.

“A current approach to rank and select rural infrastructure projects is evaluating expected returns on investment (ROI). But  relatively little was known about the economic or social returns on infrastructure investments,” says Farm Foundation President Constance Cullman. “Some studies looked at infrastructure relative to productivity or GDP, but very few had assessed ROI or looked specifically at rural infrastructure investments. This type of information is needed to help public and private leaders make decisions about infrastructure investments.”

Workshop participants, including the authors of the seven commissioned papers, examined what is known about ROI on infrastructure improvements, identified gaps in the knowledge base, and assessed how this information can be used in future investment decision making by public- and private-sector leaders.

Workshop participants included university researchers, government agency representatives, private consultants, community leaders, and experts in the economic assessment process used by international development organizations for project funding.

The workshop was at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

17-04 

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