What’s Behind Decline Of USDA NASS National-Local Ag Stat Data?

For many years the US AG Industry has depended on reports from the National Agriculture Statistics Service, or NASS, to get an overview the industry, from cattle to crops to fruit and more.

   NASS data studies have gone away

Earlier this year the USDA announced due to budget cutbacks, many, if not all, of the NASS reports were not going to be issued anymore.

 Agweb.com took a look at the decline of NASS reports and came up with some insights. They say new data from the American Statistical Association showing the reliability of US economic data is at risk because of budget cutbacks and declining response rates, at least concerning NASS.

Agweb spoke to a number of experts in various ag fields and found the following reasons for NASS reports declining.

Besides USDA budget cuts, they found response rates from ag producers are steadily declining. 30-plus years ago, 80-90 percent of US ag producers and farmers would respond to and provide data for NASS reports, but 15-plus years later, those rates had dropped to around 60 percent.  The study says the reason for dropping response rates includes the difficulty of reaching farmers due to advancements in digital phones and other tech. More and more homes, even in ag, are dropping land lines, and it's harder to contact farmers on cell phones.

They also say time constraints are a factor. Like many other people, farmers feel they are being bombarded with surveys, requests for information, and polls--leading to more of them ignoring inquiries.

Get our free mobile app

There's also the issue of privacy and data sharing. Due to fraud, scams, and other new privacy issues, fewer people are willing to share information for fear of it being compromised.

The negative effects of declining response rates for NASS surveys include reduced statistical precision of estimates, especially at the local county level, and fewer counties for which estimates can be published.

The USDA and NASS have assembled a number of policy steps intended to make responding to the surveys much easier, to raise the numbers again.