ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the statistical base available for productivity research on agriculture and to consolidate suggestions for improving or better using that base. Productivity indexes are published annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the United States and ten farm production regions comprising the contiguous forty-eight states in Economic Indicators of the Farm Sector: Production and Efficiency Statistics. Responsibility for consolidating the data, making necessary adjustments, and preparing the report resided in 1984 with the Economic Indicators and Statistics Branch, National Economics Division, Economic Research Service (ERS) of USDA. Farm output is a gross measure, excluding only farm-produced intermediate products used as inputs in agriculture. It is maintained by ERS for twelve output categories. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which is responsible for maintaining relevant data on productivity of the nonagricultural sector, also collects some data relevant to agriculture.
