The Economic Research Service (ERS) is a component of the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...
(USDA) and a principal agency of the
Federal Statistical System of the United States
The Federal Statistical System of the United States is the decentralized network of federal agencies which produce data and official statistics about the people, economy, natural resources, and infrastructure of the United States.
Background
In c ...
. It provides information and research on agriculture and economics.
History
The first USDA agency formally tasked with data collection was the Division of Statistics, created in 1863, one year after the USDA itself was created.
[Panel to Study the Research Program of the Economic Research Service, ]
Sowing Seeds of Change: Informing Public Policy in the Economic Research Service of USDA
', Committee on National Statistics, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council National Research Council may refer to:
* National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development
* National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome
* National Research Council (United States), part of ...
(John F. Gewek et al., eds. 1999). By 1902, a Division of Foreign Markets had been created, and the following year, that division was merged with the Division of Statistics to form the Bureau of Statistics.
In 1914, the bureau was renamed the Bureau of Crop Estimates, and in 1921 this bureau merged with the Bureau of Markets to form the Bureau of Markets and Crop Estimates.
This merger brought together "responsibility for the collection of farm-level crop and livestock data with that for major domestic and foreign commodity market transactions" in a single agency.
While the USDA's data collection activities were developing, the department was also developing expertise in
agricultural economics
Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products.
Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...
research.
In 1903, the Office of Farm Management was formed within the Bureau of Plant Industry.
In 1915, this office was transferred to the Office of the Secretary to provide analytic support during World War I. In 1919, the office was renamed in Office of Farm Management and Farm Economics. In 1920, the office became a separate USDA agency.
In 1922, the Bureau of Agricultural Economics (BAE), the ERS's immediate predecessor, was established by the merger of the Office of Farm Management and Farm Economics and the Bureau of Markets and Crop Estimates, bringing together responsibility for data collection and economic research/analysis in a single agency.
This new agency brought together for the first time in data collection and economic analysis and research.
The first leader of the BAE was the pioneering agricultural economist
Henry Charles Taylor, appointed by
Secretary of Agriculture
The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The department includes several organi ...
Henry C. Wallace.
[Milestones in ERS History: Henry C. Taylor](_blank)
, Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. In its initial years the BAE recruited agricultural economists from the handful of
land-grant universities
A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
Signed by Abraha ...
that offered the
Ph.D
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
in agriculture, such as
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, and
Cornell
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
.
The ERS was established by Secretary of Agriculture Memorandum 1446, supp. 1, of April 3, 1961.
United States Government Manual 2012
', Office of the Federal Register
The Office of the Federal Register is an office of the United States government within the National Archives and Records Administration.
The Office publishes the ''Federal Register'', ''Code of Federal Regulations'', ''Public Papers of the Presid ...
, National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
, p. 555. It was subsequently consolidated with other USDA units (including the Economic Development Service, established in 1969, and the Economic Management Support Center, established 1974) into the Economics, Statistics, and Cooperatives Service by Secretary's Memorandum 1927, effective December 23, 1977.
The agency was redesignated as the ''Economic Research Service'' by secretarial order of October 1, 1981.
Under the
Trump administration
Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...
, the ERS and another USDA agency, the
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is a U.S. federal government body whose creation was mandated in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. Its purpose is to consolidate all federally funded agricultural research, an ...
were directed to move from the USDA's headquarters in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
to the
Kansas City metropolitan area
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
. Two-thirds of the USDA employees reassigned chose to quit rather than accept relocation.
[Emily Moon]
'Cut, Relocate, Eviscerate': Moving a USDA Research Agency Will Have Lasting Consequences, Employees Say
''Pacific Standard'' (July 18, 2019).[Ben Guarino]
Many USDA workers to quit as research agencies move to Kansas City: 'The brain drain we all feared'
''Washington Post'' (July 18, 2019). In 2018, the office of Trump's
Agriculture Secretary
The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The department includes several organi ...
,
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as t ...
, also issued a directive to ERS and other research components of USDA, ordering them to include a disclaimer on peer-reviewed research in
scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research.
Content
Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...
s stating that findings and conclusions were "preliminary" and "should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy."
[Ben Guarino]
USDA orders scientists to say published research is 'preliminary'
''Washington Post'' (April 19, 2019).[Ryan McCrimmon]
Economists flee Agriculture Dept. after feeling punished under Trump
''Politico'' (May 7, 2019). Susan Offutt, the ERS administrator under the
Clinton and
George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...
s, said that the requirement was contrary to the USDA's longstanding policy that permitted and encouraged federal scientists from publishing work in journals,
and the "disclaimer" mandate was strongly criticized by USDA employees, science advocates, and scientific journal editors.
[Ben Guarino]
After outcry, USDA will no longer require scientists to label research 'preliminary'
''Washington Post'' (May 10, 2019). In May 2019, following an outcry, the USDA rescinded the directive.
Current and former employees of the ERS were strongly critical of the relocation to Kansas City and other Trump administration policies, and the exodus of scientific and economic talent and disruption to federal research (especially on
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and
food security
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...
) that they had caused.
[Liz Crampton]
ERS union predicts mass exodus ahead of relocation
''Politico'' (June 25, 2019). The move to Kansas City area resulted in an attrition rate particularly high in the Resource and Rural Economics Division (90%) and in the Food Economics Division (up to 89%).
ERS economists said that the Trump administration's moves were retaliation against the agency for publishing research reports detailing the negative economic effects of Trump's policies, including
tariffs
A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and polic ...
and
Republican tax legislation, on U.S. agriculture.
Functions
Today, ERS's mission is to provide "economic research and information to inform public and private decision making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, natural resources, and
rural America
Rural areas in the United States, often referred to as rural America, consists of approximately 97% of the United States' land area. An estimated 60 million people, or one-in-five residents (17.9% of the total U.S. population), live in rural Ame ...
."
The ERS and
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) jointly fund and manage the
Agricultural Resource Management Survey, a multi-phase, nationally representative survey of U.S. farms that is the USDA's "primary source of information on the financial condition, production practices, and resource use of America's farm businesses and the economic well-being of America's farm households."
The ERS publishes the magazine ''Amber Waves'' five times a year.
[Peggy Garvin, ]
The United States Government Internet Directory 2010
' (Bernan Press, 2011), p. 9. The publication began in February 2003; it replaced ''Agricultural Outlook'', ''FoodReview'', and ''Rural America''.
The publication "features information and economic analysis about food, farms, natural resources, and rural community issues" and includes data and charts on various economic indications, including livestock cash receipts, farm
household income
Household income is a measure of the combined incomes of all people sharing a particular household or place of residence. It includes every form of income, e.g., salaries and wages, retirement income, near cash government transfers like food stamp ...
, agricultural imports and exports, and food spending.
Leadership, organization, and staff
The ERS is led by an administrator, historically a career
Senior Executive Service
The Senior Executive Service (SES) is a position classification in the civil service of the United States federal government equivalent to general officer or flag officer rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. It was created in 1979 when the Civil Service ...
appointee
[Committee on National Statistics, ]
Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency
' (4th ed. 2009, eds. Constance F. Citro, Margaret E. Martin & Miron L. Straf), Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. National Research Council National Research Council may refer to:
* National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development
* National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome
* National Research Council (United States), part of ...
. that (along with NASS) reported to the
Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics The Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics is a high-ranking official within the United States Department of Agriculture that provides leadership and oversight for the Agricultural Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agr ...
.
However, in 2019, the
Trump administration
Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...
, under
Agriculture Secretary
The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The department includes several organi ...
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American veterinarian, businessman, politician, and university administrator who served as the 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as t ...
, moved to place ERS under the direct oversight of a political appointee, reporting to the chief economist under the Office of the Secretary.
[Perdue's plan to put ERS under chief economist, move ERS, NIFA out of Washington area doesn't escape criticism](_blank)
''Hagstrom Report'' (August 10, 2018). This restructuring prompted criticism that the ERS's historically independent and autonomous data-collection mission would be compromised by political interference.
The ERS is organized into the Office of the Administrator and four divisions: The Food Economics Division; the Information Services Division; the Market and Trade Economics Division; and the Resource and Rural Economics Division.
[Management Directory](_blank)
Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Each division is led by a director.
ERS had about 510 employees in 1998,
430 employees in 2009,
and 250 employees in 2019.
[Nicole Ogrysko]
Faced with possible relocation, USDA's ERS employees vote to unionize
Federal News Network
WFED (1500 AM) is a 50,000-watt Class A radio station in the Washington, D.C. region. The station, which brands as Federal News Network, broadcasts a news talk format focused on issues and news pertaining to members and staff of the United S ...
(May 9, 2019). In 2019, in the wake of a relocation order, ERS employees voted overwhelmingly to unionize under the
American Federation of Government Employees
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is an American labor union representing over 670,000 employees of the federal government, about 5,000 employees of the District of Columbia, and a few hundred private sector employees, mo ...
, forming their own
bargaining unit
A bargaining unit, in labor relations, is a group of employees with a clear and identifiable community of interests who is (under US law) represented by a single labor union in collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negoti ...
.
[Dan Nosowitz]
The USDA's Scientific Department Has Unionized. Will the USDA Care?
'' Modern Farmer'' (July 9, 2019).
Administrators
The following individuals served as the administrators of the ERS from 1961 to the present:
[Milestones in ERS History](_blank)
Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
# 1961–1965: Nathan M. Koffsky
# 1965–1972: Melvin L. Upchurch
# 1972–1977: Quentin M. West
# 1977–1981: Kenneth R. Farrell (ESCS Administrator); J.B. Penn (Associate Administrator for Economics)
# 1982–1993: John E. Lee
# 1993–1996: ''Acting administrators''
# 1996–2006: Susan Offutt
# 2007–2011: Kitty Smith
# 2011–2018: Mary Bohman
# 2018–2020: ''Acting administrators''
#2020-Present: Spiro Stefanou
See also
*
Agricultural extension
Agricultural extension is the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. The field of 'extension' now encompasses a wider range of communication and learning activities organized for r ...
*
Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...
*
Economics of global warming
The economics of climate change concerns the economic aspects of climate change; this can inform policies that governments might consider in response. A number of factors make this and the politics of climate change a difficult problem: it is a l ...
**
Economics of climate change mitigation
*
Henry Cantwell Wallace
Henry Cantwell "Harry" Wallace (May 11, 1866 – October 25, 1924) was an American farmer, journalist, and political activist who served as the Secretary of Agriculture from 1921 to 1924 under Republican presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvi ...
*
World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates
The ''World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates'' (WASDE) is a monthly report published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) providing comprehensive forecast of supply and demand for major crops (global and United States) a ...
Notes
External links
*
Economic Research Servicein the
Federal Register
The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on feder ...
{{Authority control
United States Department of Agriculture agencies
National statistical services
Statistical organizations in the United States
Federal Statistical System of the United States