National Ag Statistics cutting back on reports
October 18, 2011 | 10:39 PM | Filed in: National Agricultural Statistics Service
The National Agricultural Statistics Service has decided to eliminate or cut back on a long list of reports it issues due to budget constraints, while users of those reports and others said that more information, not less, is needed in a period of tight global food stocks.
“In light of funding reductions in fiscal year 2011 and the likelihood of additional reductions in fiscal year 2012, NASS conducted deliberate reviews of all programs against mission- and user-based criteria, aimed at finding cost savings and forward-thinking business efficiencies so that key timely, accurate and useful data remains available in service to agriculture,” said the agency, a division of the Agriculture Department.
“As a result, the agency is discontinuing or reducing a wide range of agricultural survey programs,” the statement said. “The decision to eliminate or reduce these reports was not made lightly, but it was nevertheless necessary, given the funding situation. Because of the timing of the agency’s survey work during the coming year, these decisions are necessary now.”
At a NASS-sponsored conference in Chicago Monday, analysts said their biggest worry is the announced cancellation of a monthly oilseeds report issued by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau that measured soybeans crushed into meal and soy oil, Reuters reported
NASS will publish a Federal Register notice on the proposed cuts, but did not announce the date.
The reports NASS plans to eliminate or reduce in frequency:
“In light of funding reductions in fiscal year 2011 and the likelihood of additional reductions in fiscal year 2012, NASS conducted deliberate reviews of all programs against mission- and user-based criteria, aimed at finding cost savings and forward-thinking business efficiencies so that key timely, accurate and useful data remains available in service to agriculture,” said the agency, a division of the Agriculture Department.
“As a result, the agency is discontinuing or reducing a wide range of agricultural survey programs,” the statement said. “The decision to eliminate or reduce these reports was not made lightly, but it was nevertheless necessary, given the funding situation. Because of the timing of the agency’s survey work during the coming year, these decisions are necessary now.”
At a NASS-sponsored conference in Chicago Monday, analysts said their biggest worry is the announced cancellation of a monthly oilseeds report issued by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau that measured soybeans crushed into meal and soy oil, Reuters reported
NASS will publish a Federal Register notice on the proposed cuts, but did not announce the date.
The reports NASS plans to eliminate or reduce in frequency:
- Annual Reports on Farm Numbers, Land in Farms and Livestock Operations — Eliminate
- Catfish and Trout Reports — Eliminate all
- Annual Floriculture Report — Eliminate
- January Sheep and Goat Report — Eliminate
- Chemical Use Reports — Reduce frequency of commodity coverage
- July Cattle Report — Eliminate
- Distiller Co-Products for Feed Survey — Cancel
- Annual Bee and Honey Report — Eliminate
- Annual Hops Production Report — Eliminate
- Monthly Potato Stocks Report — Reduce from monthly to quarterly
- Annual Mink Report — Eliminate
- Fruit and Vegetable in-season forecast and estimates — Reduce from monthly and quarterly to annual report
- Nursery Report — Eliminate
- Rice Stocks Report — Eliminate June and September reports, but continue January, March and August reports
