Skip to Main Content

Sage Data: Agriculture

This guide provides content support for using Sage Data resources for librarians, faculty, instructors, researchers, and students.

Guides

Agriculture: US Statistics

The Data Planet repository includes many indicators related to agricultural production and operations, as well as food consumption, in the United States, primarily sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Statistics range from the counts of livestock and farms, to crop prices, crops planted and harvested, crop yield, and much, much more.

Exploring US Agriculture in Sage Data

In Data Planet, the many indicators on the topic of U.S. agriculture can be viewed as stand-alone trends, charts, or maps. For example, the chart below shows the annual trend of the production of American cheese in Wisconsin since 1970:

 

Create a comparison of acres harvested vs. planted of pumpkins as in the chart below. 

To select multiple indicators, select Compare Datasets in the left navigation pane and make selections in the dataset list to create your comparison

pointer to compare datasets mode

Try it yourself with other indicators, such as Gross Domestic Product, weight trends, and more. Keep in mind that the graphs you create do not necessarily imply causality: the results may suggest a potential relationship between the variables you select, which may be an interesting line of inquiry for your own research.

For more information on using Data Planet, click here.

Click on the links below to view sample DataSheets comprising statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to U.S. agriculture in Sage Data to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between agriculture metrics and other indicators in the vast Data Planet repository.

The examples below are just a sampling to give you an idea of the granularity of the available data. There are many more indicators on this topic in the repository—add search terms for commodities, states, counties, and more, or contact your library staff for help in formulating your search strategy.

Rankings

Trends

Maps

So you're interested in data on agriculture in the United States, but which datasets should you set your sights on? Well, here's a list of relevant datasets, along with a short description of each. The hyperlinks will take you to a DataSheet created using statistics from the dataset described.

  • USDA Agricultural Census: Conducted since 1840, the Census of Agriculture conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the USDA provides comprehensive data on the current situation, historical changes in U.S. agriculture, and long-term trends. The Census also collects information on the agricultural industry that is not gathered elsewhere in the annual survey programs conducted by the NASS, including data on areas such as agritourism, organic production, farmer demographics, specialized agricultural production, Internet access and more. Conducted every five years, the Census provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Participation in the Census is required by law, and is the responsibility of every farmer and rancher, regardless of the size or type of operation. 
  • USDA Agricultural Surveys: In addition to to the Census of Agriculture conducted every five years, the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the USDA conducts hundreds of surveys during each calendar year of farm operations in the U.S. Included in the dataset are statistics related to animal and livestock and crop production, farm economics, and use of chemicals by farm operations. 
  • USDA Commodity Prices: Presents data on crop prices, by commodity and state. Prices received represent sales from producers to first buyers. They include all grades and qualities. The average commodity price from the survey multiplied by the total quantity marketed theoretically should give the total cash receipts for the commodity. Individual producers normally market commodities few times during the year.
  • USDA Farm Counts: The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) issues data on the number of farms and land in farms by state. 
  • USDA Food Environment Atlas: Focusing on the topic of food security, this dataset (with over 250+ indicators!) paints a picture of food choices, health and diet, as well as community characteristics within U.S. counties.
  • USDA Food Access Research Atlas: This dataset complements the other atlas, and as such, also focuses on food security—specifically access to food. The data available at the state and census tract levels.
  • USDA Per Capita Food Availability: The per capita food availability data compiled by the USDA Economic Research Service reflect the amount of food available for human consumption in the United States. This historical series measures the national food supply of several hundred foods, and it is the only source of time series data on U.S. food availability in the country. ERS's food availability data are often referred to as food disappearance data because the data represent the resulting food supply after food "disappears" into the food marketing system. Food availability data measure the use of basic commodities, such as wheat, beef, and shell eggs for food products at the farm level or an early stage of processing. They do not measure food use of highly processed foods.
  • USDA World Agricultural Production: As the name of this dataset suggests, data is available beyond the United States, which makes for an easy comparison across countries on various commodities. 
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics Import/Export Indexes includes trade data on U.S. exports and imports for agricultural commodities and products. Also explore datasets from the BEA and Census Bureau for data on employment in farms, food consumption expenditures, and much, much more.

About the US Department of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created by the Agricultural Act of May 15, 1862, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. Key activities include:

  • expanding markets for agricultural products and support international economic development;
  • further developing alternative markets for agricultural products and activities;
  • providing financing needed to help expand job opportunities and improve housing, utilities, and infrastructure in rural America;
  • enhancing food safety by taking steps to reduce the prevalence of food-borne hazards;
  • improving nutrition and health by providing food assistance and nutrition education and promotion; and
  • managing and protecting America’s public and private lands working cooperatively with other levels of government and the private sector.

Major data statistical programs of USDA include the Economic Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the World Agricultural Outlook Board.

USDA logo

https://usda.gov

Sample Data: Peach Production and Yield in Georgia

 

Sample Data: Average Prices for Food from the Consumer Price Index 

 

Agriculture: International Statistics

The Data Planet repository includes many indicators related to agriculture production and trade. Statistics range from the value of agriculture in a nation's Gross Domestic Product, value of agricultural imports and exports, employment in agriculture-related occupations, and much, much more.

Exploring International Agricultural Statistics in Sage Data

In Data Planet Statistical Datasets, the many indicators on the topic of international agriculture can be viewed as stand-alone trends, charts, or maps. For example, the chart below shows the annual trend of exports of coffee beans from Guatemala:

 

Create a ranking of nations by coffee exports as in the chart below by clicking on the ranking icon in the tool bar immediately above the chart. Use Ranking Chart Options to select how many nations to include in your chart.

: 

In Data Planet Statistical Datasets, you can compare statistics within and across nations. For example, in the chart below, trends in amounts of coffee exports, production, and domestic consumption compared in Guatemala:

 

To select multiple indicators, select Compare Datasets in the left navigation pane and make selections in the dataset list to create your comparison.

 

 

Try it yourself with other indicators, such as Gross Domestic Product, food consumption, size of the rural population, and more.  Keep in mind that the graphs you create do not necessarily imply causality: the results may suggest a potential relationship between the variables you select, which may be an interesting line of inquiry for your own research.

For more information on using Data Planet Statistical Datasets, click here. 

 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN Statistics: The time-series and cross-sectional data provided here are from the FAOSTAT database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Statistics include measures related to the food supply; forestry; agricultural production, prices, and investment; and trade and use of resources, such as fertilizers, land, and pesticides. As available, data are provided for approximately 245 countries and 35 regional areas from 1961 through the present. 

USDA World Agricultural Production: Provides data on the production, supply, and distribution of agricultural commodities for the United States and key producing and consuming countries. The data are collected by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, which maintains a global agricultural market intelligence and commodity reporting service to provide US farmers and traders with information on world agricultural production and trade for use in adjusting to changes in world demand for US agricultural products.

China Data Institute Yearly Statistics on Agriculture: Provides data related to agriculture in the People’s Republic of China, including labor, food production, and value of products of farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery during a given period and as a percentage of value over a specified year. Also presented are data on area in cultivation and area sown, area impacted by natural disasters, electricity consumption in rural areas, and the capacity and number of power of agricultural machinery.

​U.S. Census Bureau International Trade Statistics: Analyze statistics on exports and imports for the US and its trading partners. Metrics include values of shipments, in total and by means of transportation into/out of the US.

World Bank World Development Indicators: Explore this dataset for indicators on the environmental impact of agriculture and trade in agricultural products.

Clink on the links below to view sample DataSheets - statistical abstracts complete with infographics of indicators relevant to international agriculture in  Data Planet Statistical Datasets . Link into Data Planet using the link at the bottom of the DataSheet to further manipulate the data and explore relationships between agriculture metrics and other indicators in the vast Data Planet repository.

The examples are just a sampling to give you an idea of the granularity of the available data. There are many more indicators on this topic in the repository - add search terms for commodities, states, counties, and more, or contact your library staff for help in formulating your search strategy.

Trend in the number of hectares impacted by national disasters in China - from China Data Institute

Trend in the gross output value of farming in China - from China Data Institute

Ranking of nations with respect to production of orange juice - from the USDA World Agricultural Production dataset

Prevalence of undernourishment by world region - from the UN Sustainable Development Goals database

Trend in production of Arabica coffee beans in Honduras - from the USDA World Agricultural Production dataset

Ranking of nations with respect to food exports vs imports as percentage of total merchandise exports and imports - from the World Bank World Development Indicators database

Ranking of nations by value of agricultural exports - from the US Census International Trade dataset

Map of Canadian provinces showing farm income - from the Statistics Canada StatCan dataset

Sample DataSheet: Agricultural Production