U.S. Agricultural Export Capabilities Under Various Price Alternatives, Regional Production Variations, and Fertilizer-use Restrictions: Card Report 63, December 1975

Two major issues are causing concern about the future of the American agricultural sector, its interaction with the rest of the American economy, and the impacts on the consumer of the food and fiber products produced in agriculture. One of these concerns is the quality of the environment and restraints imposed on agriculture to improve it. Agriculture, the major user of land and water resources, contributes to environmental conditions through sedimentation, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal residues. The second issue is world hunger and demand for food and the potential for large increases in United States grain exports to assist in alleviating this hunger. Both of these developments, the imposition of environmental restraints on agriculture and larger exports of grains, can cause farm commodity prices to rise at the farm level and subsequently food costs to rise for domestic consumers. The World Food Conference held in Rome in 1974 emphasized the growing world concern for greater food output and trade in food commodities