WHY ECONOMISTS SHOULD TALK TO SCIENTISTS AND WHAT THEY SHOULD ASK: DISCUSSION

Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Theme Overview: Implications of Health Care Reform for Farmers and Rural Residents

Health Economics and Policy,

ALTERNATIVE MEASURES OF FARM SIZE: TRENDS AND DETERMINANTS

Because of policy interest in the size distribution of farms, there is an interest in understanding the causes of changing farm sizes. This paper addresses an overlooked issue in the literature on the determinants of farm size, namely, the empirical specification of farm size. We examine 5 different size measures: acres operated, land and building value, cash receipts, cash receipts plus government payments, and a constructed measure of the rental value of farms. We graphically show the difference in trends in farm size using the various measures for the U.S. and selected states. We then discuss how the results of an analysis of the determinants of farm size depend on the farm size measure employed. The data set is a panel data set of 48 states from 1960 to 1996.Farm Management,

U.S. Farm Policy and Small Farms

We begin with a brief comparison of the size distribution of US and EU-15 farms to provide the European audience a greater context to the US issues. The EU data are from the Farm Structures Survey and the US data are from USDA’s Agriculture Resource Management Survey (ARMS). We next address the reasons for the unexpected increase in the number of small farms in the US and the possible role of government policies. We draw on ARMS to provide the distribution of commodity and conservation payments by farm size. Although limits on payments to large farms have long been addressed by the periodic US Farm Acts, payments continue to be concentrated on large farms largely because of their historical ties to farm production. The most recent 2008 Farm Act included more provisions to target program participants based on the personal characteristics of the operators and to limit payments to individuals likely to be operating large farms.small farms, EU-US farm structure comparison, farm policy, payment distribution, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q12,

Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

USDA defines beginning farmers and ranchers as those who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less either as a sole operator or with others who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less. Beginning farmers tend to be younger than established farmers and to operate smaller farms or ranches, some of which may provide no annual production. Beginning farmers often face obstacles getting started, including high startup costs and limited availability of land. USDA—through the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service—provides loans and conservation assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers. This report draws on data from annual surveys and the Census of Agriculture to provide policymakers with a better understanding of beginning farmers and ranchers, including how they contribute to U.S. agricultural production.agricultural production, Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), beginning farmers and ranchers, Census of Agriculture, farm assets, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Conservation Reserve Program, operator characteristics, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management,

INCOME AND WEALTH OF HOUSEHOLDS WHO OPERATE U.S. FARMS

Consumer/Household Economics,

Management Strategies of Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

Farm Management,

Access of Farm Households to Health Care

Health Economics and Policy, Labor and Human Capital,

Obamacare may be changing the way that American farms work

The introduction of Obamacare has helped millions of Americans to obtain health insurance, and at lower cost. In new research, Mary Clare Ahearn looks at how Obamacare might affect the workforce of the 2.1 million farms in the US. She finds that Obamacare is likely to benefit farming families with low incomes, but that it has also given larger farms which are subject to the employer mandate incentives to reduce or alter their use of labor

THE IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND STRUCTURE: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Our paper begins with a consideration of the causal relationships among productivity, farm structure, government farm payments and public investments in research and extension. We then empirically test key relationships for a relatively recent period (1960-96) in the history of agricultural structural adjustment using a simultaneous equations econometric model. Future work will expand and refine the measurement of variables thought to explain the relationship between productivity and structure.Agricultural and Food Policy, Productivity Analysis,