A feature by William Kandel in AmberWaves (June 2006), published by the USDA Economic Research Service, looks at the relocation of meat-processing plants to rural areas and related rural population shifts.

The Population Reference Bureau has released two new reports on migration within the US:

• Americans Flocking to Outer Suburbs in Record Numbers (by Robert Lalasz, May 2006) is based on the previously announced Census Bureau report Domestic Net Migration in the United States: 2000 to 2004.
• Rural America Undergoing a Diversity of Demographic Change (by Kenneth Johnson, professor of sociology at Loyola University-Chicago, May 2006) examines demographic trends in rural areas.

Subject tables (PDF file) from the 2004 ACS detailing age, poverty, fertility, and other characteristics of Pennsylvanians are now available through the PaSDC at Penn State Harrisburg.

Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Report: “Food Assistance Landscape, March 2006.” The Food Assistance Landscape March 2006 uses preliminary data from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to examine trends in the food assistance programs through fiscal 2005 (October 1, 2004, to September 30, 2005). It also discusses a recent ERS study that examined patterns of entry into and exit from the Food Stamp Program.

National Research Council Monograph: “Food Insecurity and Hunger in the United States: An Assessment of the Measure” (Panel to Review U.S Department of Agriculture’s Measurement of Food Insecurity and Hunger, National Research Council, National Academies Press, 2006, OpenBook format, and .pdf format, 126p.). Note: .pdf format is freely available to the public after required registration.

This USDA ERS Report states that evidence is strong that, beginning in 1995, an increase in reported certification-related costs per Food Stamp Program (FSP) household contributed to reduced error rates.

This is an article about a possible relationship between food stamps and obesity from the USDA ERS.

The Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD) food security status files, available for 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, contain summary food security status information for households interviewed in the SPD.

“Rural Hispanics At A Glance,” by William Kandel. Abstract and full text.

“Metropolitan Area Food Prices and Children’s Weight Gain,” by Roland Sturm and Ashlesha Datar. Links to an abstract and full text are available.