The USDA is planning changes to its crop reporting process after a sharp decline in farmer participation raised concerns about data reliability.
Officials say response rates for the agency’s March 31 planting intentions report fell to 37.6%, down from 44.3% last year and the lowest on record. In response, the USDA intends to expand its survey efforts.
Reuters says, pending approval, the agency will increase the number of farmers surveyed for its June acreage report by roughly 35%, with smaller increases planned for reports later in the year.
“This should substantially boost our usable reports and increase the precision for major field crop estimates,” said Joseph Parsons, head of the agency’s statistics service.
The USDA also plans to add clearer explanations of uncertainty in its reports and introduce a new annual review comparing early forecasts to final crop totals, aiming to improve transparency and rebuild confidence.
