USDA NASS seeks producer input for county crop estimates

Traders Union
All News
Financial News
USDA crop survey input

Highlights

USDA NASS has launched the County Agricultural Production Survey, soliciting farmer responses on harvested acreage, production, and yields for county-level crop estimates.
NASS integrates producer input, Farm Service Agency data, Risk Management Agency figures, soil productivity, and statistical methods to produce county estimates benchmarked to state results.
CAPS data release is scheduled for December in NASS's Quick Stats database, supporting agribusiness, lenders, insurers, and USDA in risk assessment and planning.

Survey process and estimate methodology

As announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, selected producers will receive the County Agricultural Production Survey by mail and can respond online with the survey code included in the questionnaire or return it by mail. NASS representatives may also contact producers by phone or visit in person to help complete the survey.

Joseph L. Parsons, NASS administrator, says producers across the country use USDA county crop estimates each year to compare local yields, understand growing conditions and make better business decisions. Depending on the state, the survey supports county estimates for crops including corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, peanuts, rice, sorghum, barley, oats and other commodities.

NASS builds the county estimates by combining survey responses from producers with acreage information from USDA's Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency. The agency also uses soil productivity information and statistical methods, then benchmarks the results to official state estimates to keep them accurate and consistent.

Local agricultural and market relevance

County-level estimates provide a local view of crop production that producers use to compare their yields with county averages, track production trends and gauge the effects of weather and growing conditions across their areas. The figures also serve lenders, crop advisers, insurers, landlords, agribusinesses, researchers and USDA as a common reference point for planning and risk assessment.

NASS says producer participation remains essential even with additional federal data sources because only farmers can provide current on-the-ground information on harvested acreage, production and yields within their counties. Under federal law, the agency keeps all submitted information confidential and uses it only for statistical purposes, with no individual producer or farm identified in published reports or shared for regulatory or enforcement use.

The CAPS data is scheduled for publication in December in NASS's Quick Stats database. NASS is the federal statistical agency responsible for official U.S. agriculture data and says it aims to provide timely, accurate and useful statistics for the sector.

In our earlier article on the July U.S. CPI outlook, we explained why investors and policymakers were focused on the inflation report as a key input for the Fed’s mid-September rate decision. We highlighted expectations for a modest cooling in headline inflation alongside softer wage growth and labor-market signals, while noting that energy-price risks could still sway the trajectory and rate expectations.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.