Farm Income and Financial Forcasts - September 2025 Update

Webinar: Farm Income and Financial Forecasts, September 2025 Update

Virtual International Track Session: Groundwater irrigation for sustainable development in South Asia

September 4 at 11:00 am Eastern Time
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtduGoqDopHNSMRgwJQor6F4-tc6TFzSQH

South Asia is home to the world's largest number of smallholder farmers and the agricultural production in the region relies heavily on groundwater irrigation. Intensification of groundwater irrigation in the region is linked to improvement in food security and poverty reduction via higher agricultural productivity. However, it has serious implications on climate change, particularly because groundwater is extracted using fossil-fuel pumps. Efforts to curb CO2 emissions are underway, but the adoption of such practices and technologies is low and sporadic. In this session, we will discuss the challenges and opportunities of groundwater irrigation in South Asia highlighting three ongoing studies from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. We will discuss pricing farm electricity and water use efficiency in India, benefits of solar irrigation in Bangladesh and how the accumulation of human-made capital has contributed to the decline in groundwater capital in Nepal and India.

 

Organizer: Kashi Kafle, Texas A&M University

 

Pricing Farm Electricity, Water Use and Efficiency: The Case of Paddy Cultivation in Punjab

Speaker: Disha Gupta, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research

A place in the sun: farmers' co-benefits from solar irrigation in Bangladesh

Speaker: Marie-Charlotte Buisson, IWMI-CGIAR

 

The Depletion of Groundwater Capital and Accumulation of Man-Made Capital

Speaker: Ram Fishman, Tel Aviv University

 

Discussion on groundwater irrigation for sustainable development in South Asia

Speaker: Soumya Balasubramanya, The World Bank

USDA Webinar: Rural America at a Glance, 2023 Edition

 Date: Thursday, November 16, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM ET 
Duration: 1 hour
Host: James C. Davis

Description
In this webinar, ERS Research Agricultural Economist James C. Davis highlights the most recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas, focusing on rural population and migration trends, poverty, housing insecurity, unemployment, and clean energy jobs.

The USDA's Economic Research Service releases the Rural America at a Glance report annually, which summarizes the status of conditions and trends in rural areas. 

Read last year's edition of the report: Rural America at a Glance, 2022 Edition.

Register now: https://www.ers.usda.gov/conferences/webinar-rural-america-at-a-glance-2023-edition/

SAS Webinar: How to Fight Hunger & Food Insecurity (and How Not to) — Lessons from South Asia

South Asia’s success in rapidly transitioning from massive food deficits to food surpluses and significant improvements in food security provides important lessons on the pathways towards getting to the SDG goal of zero-hunger. The historic focus on smallholder productivity growth and the consequent rise in incomes has long been seen as a blueprint for agriculture as an engine of economic growth and rural transformation. However, the unilateral strategy of increasing the “pile of grain” has resulted in substantial environmental and societal costs and climate related consequences. Staple grain fundamentalist agricultural policy has hampered food system diversity and slowed the fight against malnutrition. A reboot of food and agricultural policies that promote healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems are an urgent priority. We welcome you to join the South Asia Section of AAEA webinar on this discussion with guest speaker Dr. Prabhu Pingali from Cornell University.

When: Wednesday, October 25, 9:00am—10:00am Eastern
Agenda: 40 minutes for presentation and 20 minutes for Q&A
Speaker: Dr. Prabhu Pingali, Professor & Director, Tata-Cornell Institute, Cornell University

 Register here!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please note that space is limited. If at any time, you can no longer attend the webinar, please email us at info@aaea.org to cancel so we may better accommodate pending registrations. Any pending registrants will be reviewed during the time of the webinar in the event there is room.

Webinar: International Food Security Assessment, 2023–33

 Date: Thursday, September 7, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM ET 

Duration: 1 hour

Presenters: Yacob Abrehe Zereyesus & Lila Cardell

Description: USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) publishes the International Food Security Assessment every year to provide current estimates and 10-year projections of food security for 83 low- and middle-income countries that are current or former food aid recipients. In this webinar, ERS Economists Yacob Abrehe Zereyesus and Lila Cardell discuss the drivers of changes in food security measures.

 https://www.ers.usda.gov/conferences/webinar-international-food-security-assessment-2023-2033/

USDA Webinar: Farm Income and Financial Forecasts, August 2023 Update

Date: Thursday, August 31, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Host: Carrie Litkowski, Economic Research Service, USDA


Description:

USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) releases farm income statement and balance sheet estimates and forecasts three times a year. These core statistical indicators provide guidance to policymakers, lenders, commodity organizations, farmers, and others interested in the financial status of the farm economy. ERS' farm income statistics also inform the computation of agriculture's contribution to the U.S. economy's gross domestic product.

During this webinar, ERS Economist Carrie Litkowski will present the August 2023 update to the farm sector income and wealth forecasts for calendar year 2023.

See the latest Farm Income Forecast.

Join here: https://globalmeet.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1629625&tp_key=30e837243f

ERS Webinar: Concentration and Competition in U.S. Agribusiness

Webinar Details

Date: Tuesday, July 11th, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Presenter: James MacDonald

Description:

Market concentration, and its impact on competition, has attracted growing public scrutiny. Critics argue that many industries have grown too concentrated, with fewer firms competing with one another and a consequent weakening of competition. The issues surrounding concentration extend to agribusiness, particularly to three agribusiness sectors where concentration has increased over time: seeds, meatpacking, and food retail. During this webinar, ERS Agricultural Economist James MacDonald will present findings in Concentration and Competition in U.S. Agribusiness. This report details consolidation in each of these industries, explains the driving forces behind increased concentration, and examines public policies aimed at encouraging competition, with a focus on the implementation of merger policy.

Register: https://globalmeetwebinar.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1622850&tp_key=bebf505e6b

USDA Webinar: Data Training Webinar: Dairy Data

Webinar Details

Date: Thursday, June 29, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Presenters: Jerry Cessna and Angel Terán

Description:

Did you know that in recent decades, per capita consumption for several major dairy product categories has risen, including cheese, butter, and yogurt? On the other hand, per capita consumption of fluid milk has declined.

The USDA, Economic Research Service’s (ERS) Dairy Data product gives additional insights into the domestic supply, demand, and trade of various dairy products. These include data on dairy per capita consumption, fluid milk sales, milk supply by State and region, milk production and factors affecting supply and utilization of milk in all dairy products, and numbers and size of milk bottling plants. During this webinar, ERS Economists Jerry Cessna and Angel Teran will present an overview of the product, highlight its many uses and demonstrate where to find these data on the ERS website.

Register now: https://www.ers.usda.gov/conferences/data-training-webinar-dairy-data/

Listening to the Diverse Voices of AAEA

As our current AAEA President Norbert Wilson put it so aptly last summer in his Presidential Address—what’s your story? In this webinar, we’ll hear from our panelists about their stories—where they are in their career now, how they got there professionally, and what experiences or forces shaped them and their career that might not be evident from their CVs or résumés.

When: Tuesday, May 2, 12:00 am – 1:00 pm (Central Time)
Format: Zoom
Agenda: Each panelist will be given approximately 10 minutes to share their story. Additional time is reserved for audience Q&A and moderator questions.
Panelists:

• Amy Ando, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Luis Peña-Lévano, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
• Sierra Howry, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
• Jason Bergtold, Kansas State University

Moderator: Alicia Rosburg, University of Northern Iowa

Note that space is limited. If at anytime you find out that you can longer attend the webinar, please email us at info@aaea.org to cancel so we may better accommodate pending registrations. Any pending registrants will be reviewed during the time of the webinar in the event there is room.

This webinar series was started in 2020 by the AAEA Mentorship Committee to provide an opportunity for AAEA members to share their diverse experiences, career paths, and backgrounds and for others to learn from their experience. Recordings of previous webinars in this series are available on AAEA’s YouTube channel (search within the channel for “diverse voices”).

USDA Webinar: Data Training Webinar: Poverty Area Measures

Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM ET 

Duration: 1 hour

Presenters: Tracey Farrigan and Austin Sanders

Description:

Did you know that since the 1960s, poverty area measures have been relied upon by policymakers to target, implement, and monitor Federal programs supporting a range of initiatives?

The USDA, Economic Research Service’s (ERS) Poverty Area Measures data product provides indicators of high poverty areas, extreme poverty areas, persistent poverty areas, and enduring poverty areas for counties and census tracts across all 50 states and Washington D.C. These measures serve as a resource for researchers, Federal agencies, policymakers, and practitioners working to better understand and address issues of poverty, rural development and equitable access.

Some of these initiatives include:

·     Educational and employment opportunities

·     Health care services and healthy food access

·     Transit services and community facility improvements

·     Housing assistance and land development loans

·     Fiscal health and administrative capacity of local governments

·     Energy savings and climate change resilience

·     Aid to historically underserved population groups

·     Access to telecommunication, including broadband

During this webinar, ERS Geographer Tracey Farrigan and ERS Economist Austin Sanders will present an overview of the Poverty Area Measures data product, highlight its many uses, and demonstrate where to find it on the ERS website.

 Register now: https://www.ers.usda.gov/conferences/data-training-webinar-poverty-area-measures/

Data Training Webinar: Food Price Outlook

Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker: Matthew MacLachlan and Megan Sweitzer

Description: How much are food prices predicted to increase in 2023?

USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) forecasts annual food price changes in the Food Price Outlook (FPO) data product. Forecasting food price changes has become increasingly important due to the changing structure of food and agricultural economies and the important signals the forecasts provide to farmers, wholesalers, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. The FPO forecasts are primarily based on the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) data. The CPI for food measures changes over time in the retail prices paid by consumers for food away from home and for food at home categories such as meats, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables. ERS analyzes the current index levels, examines changes, and constructs forecasts of the CPI for food. ERS also analyzes and forecasts the PPI for farm-level agricultural and wholesale food markets. Like the CPI, the PPI measures price changes over time; however, instead of measuring changes in retail prices, the PPI measures the average changes in prices paid to domestic producers for their output.

In this webinar, ERS Economists Matthew MacLachlan and Megan Sweitzer will provide an overview of the data and analysis available from the Food Price Outlook data product, highlight its uses, and demonstrate how to find the data on the ERS website.

 Register here: https://globalmeetwebinar.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1600633&tp_key=b1cd4ab812

 

Webinar: Precision Agriculture in the Digital Era: Recent Adoption on U.S. Farms

 Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM ET 

Duration: 1 hour

Presenter: Jonathan McFadden, Economic Research Service, USDA

Description:

Digital agriculture may be a part of the solution to challenges facing U.S. agriculture, including rising production costs, climate change, and labor shortages, among others.

During this webinar, ERS Research Economist Jonathan McFadden will present an overview of the Precision Agriculture in the Digital Era: Recent Adoption on U.S. Farms report, which documents trends in the U.S. farm sector’s adoption of digital agriculture technologies between 1996 and 2019, with emphasis on changes since 2016, using data from USDA’s Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

Register now: https://globalmeetwebinar.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1601058&tp_key=c7c687bdf6

USDA Webinar: America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance, 2022 Edition

Webinar Details
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker: Noah Miller

In this webinar, ERS Agricultural Economist Noah Miller presents findings from America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2022 Edition. America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance report, previously known as America's Diverse Family Farms, provides the latest statistics on U.S. farms, including production, financial performance, pandemic assistance, and farm household financial characteristics by farm size. This year's edition also explores farm household health insurance coverage, input acquisition practices, farm liquidity, and agritourism adoption.

See America's Diverse Family Farms: 2021 Edition America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2022 Edition will be released on December 6, 2022, at 9:00 AM ET.

Register now: https://www.ers.usda.gov/conferences/webinar-america-s-farms-and-ranches-at-a-glance-2022-edition/

Listening to the Diverse Voices of AAEA

As our current AAEA President Norbert Wilson put it so aptly this summer in his Presidential Address—what’s your story? In this webinar, we’ll hear from our panelists about their stories—where they are in their career now, how they get there professionally, and what experiences or forces shaped them and their career that might not be evident from their CVs or résumés.

When: Monday, December 5, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (Central Time)
Format: Zoom
Agenda: Each panelist will be given approximately 10 minutes to share their story. Additional time is reserved for audience Q&A and moderator questions.
Panelists:

• Grace Melo, Texas A&M University
• Sarah Low, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Nathan Kauffman, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Moderator: Titus Awokuse, Michigan State University

Note that space is limited. If at anytime you find out that you can longer attend the webinar, please email us at info@aaea.org to cancel so we may better accommodate pending registrations. Any pending registrants will be reviewed during the time of the webinar in the event there is room.

This webinar series was started in 2020 by the AAEA Mentorship Committee to provide an opportunity for AAEA members to share their diverse experiences, career paths, and backgrounds and for others to learn from their experience. Recordings of previous webinars in this series are available on AAEA’s YouTube channel (search within the channel for “diverse voices”).

USDA Webinar: Rural America at a Glance, 2022 Edition

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Time: 1:00 PM ET 

Duration: 1 hour

Presenter: James C. Davis, Economic Research Service, USDA

Description:

In this webinar, ERS Research Agricultural Economist James C. Davis presents findings from the 2022 Edition of Rural America at a Glance. The USDA's Economic Research Service releases the Rural America at a Glance report annually, which typically summarizes population trends, employment, poverty, and income in rural areas. This edition reviews industry shifts and looks at population trends affecting the makeup and availability of the rural labor force, including demographic changes such as age, race, and ethnicity.

Join the webinar: https://www.ers.usda.gov/conferences/webinar-rural-america-at-a-glance-2022-edition/

Webinar: International Food Security Assessment, 2022–32

Webinar Details

Date: Thursday, September 22, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Hosts: Yacob Abrehe Zereyesus & Lila Cardell

Description:
USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) publishes the International Food Security Assessment every year to provide current estimates and 10-year projections of food security for 77 low- and middle-income countries that are current or former food aid recipients. In this webinar, ERS Economists Yacob Abrehe Zereyesus and Lila Cardell discuss the drivers of changes in food security and share findings from a special article that analyzes the potential implications of recent input price increases and Russia's military invasion of Ukraine on international food security. For more information, please refer to the full report.

Register here: https://globalmeetwebinar.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1570811&tp_key=c6c79a245f

Webinar: Household Food Security in the United States in 2021

Webinar Details

Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Host: Alisha Coleman-Jensen

Description:

USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) plays a leading role in Federal research on food security and food security measurement in U.S. households. In this webinar, ERS Social Science Analyst Alisha Coleman-Jensen will provided an overview of USDA’s annual report on the prevalence and severity of food insecurity in U.S. households in 2021.

The report includes changes in food insecurity from previous years, the prevalence of food insecurity by selected household characteristics, and food insecurity among children. Food-insecure households are defined as having had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources. Food-secure households are defined as having had access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.


Register now: https://globalmeetwebinar.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1567393&tp_key=d41f7e35cd

Webinar: Farm Income and Financial Forecasts, September 2022 Update

Date: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Presenter: Carrie Litkowski

USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) releases farm income statement and balance sheet estimates and forecasts three times a year. These core statistical indicators provide guidance to policymakers, lenders, commodity organizations, farmers, and others interested in the financial status of the farm economy. ERS' farm income statistics also inform the computation of agriculture's contribution to the U.S. economy's gross domestic product.

During this webinar, ERS Economist Carrie Litkowski presents the September 2022 update to the farm sector income and wealth forecasts for calendar year 2022.

Register / Join Webinar. 

Webinar: Price Spreads from Farm to Consumer & Meat Price Spreads

Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Speakers: Hayden Stewart and Bill Hahn

How much of what consumers spend on food at retail stores goes to farmers and ranchers?

USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates the share of retail food prices that farmers receive for a variety of products including beef, pork, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, sugar, and bread. The ERS Meat Price Spreads and Prices Spreads from Farm to Consumer data products compare prices consumers paid for foods with prices received by farmers and ranchers for their commodities. For instance, farmers received more of the price consumers paid at the store for beef (41 percent) than for pork (26 percent) in May 2022. Farmers generally receive a larger share of the retail price for less-processed products such as whole milk and white flour, than for more-processed foods, such as Cheddar cheese and bread.

In this webinar, ERS economists Hayden Stewart and Bill Hahn will provide an overview of the data available from the price spreads products, highlight its uses, and demonstrate how to find the data on the ERS website.

Register online: https://globalmeetwebinar.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1557159&tp_key=f82073a6ec

Webinar: The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape, Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report

Date: Thursday, June 23, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker: Jordan W. Jones

Description:
USDA administers 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs that together affect the lives of millions of people and account for roughly two-thirds of its annual budget. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA launched additional programs and expanded the scope and coverage of existing ones. In this webinar, Economic Research Service (ERS) research economist Jordan Jones will provide an overview of the fiscal year 2021 edition of the Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape annual report series, which examines recent developments in these programs along with trends in program participation and spending. The report also includes an examination of the economic and social indicators related to participation in these programs and a summary of ERS food and nutrition assistance research.

The fiscal year 2021 edition of the report will be published on June 22, 2022, and a link to the new report will be available in the ERS Calendar. For the 2020 edition, visit the Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report.

Click here to Join/Register