Economic Research Service: Specialized Agency Functions and Public Goods’ Provision

Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS), the nation invests $87 million to support decision-making in the agriculture, food and related sectors. This capability is critically important to these sectors, which comprise 5.5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and have significant impact on 46 million rural Americans and the more than half of the country’s land and resource base that is used for agriculture. ERS is a research agency with outsized impact that serves the public goals of USDA programs and contributes to the practice of agricultural and applied economics. This report summarizes intramural and extramural research and outlines how results are used to fulfill its role as a designated statistical agency and to provide market situation and outlook information. This report also summarizes the synergies created by current programs