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USDA data modernization could level playing field for farmers

An ag economist says USDA’s effort to modernize farm data could help level the playing field for farmers as private companies expand forecasting tools.

 Seth Meyer with MU’s Food and Ag Policy Research Institute tells Brownfield…

“The fundamental purpose of these reports is to provide information symmetry into the market. You don’t want some folks to have all the information and the farmers to have none or limited, or only what they can see out of their window.”

 This market information affects the prices farmers receive and decisions that can be made about selling crops.

USDA’s Data Modernization Plan, released in early September, was compiled from feedback provided by farmers and ag industry professionals over several months. It focuses on four pillars: modernizing the reporting experience, enhancing acreage and yield estimates, integrating data, technology platforms and expanding transparency with producers.

Meyer says the USDA has some good solutions to address the decline in farmer response rates by making use of the data it already has and more government coordination and improve data transparency.

However, he says any new technology used for acreage and yield estimates, should run alongside existing systems before USDA replaces, and AI should only be used as a tool. 

“It isn’t a substitute for the person that sits down and says, does this make any sense? Does this work? But it’s also a great tool to say, here’s 10 things. Help me organize these. Or even using it as something that says, what did I say last month? I want to make sure that I’m thinking about these things consistently,” he says. “It’s a tool. It’s not a replacement.”

The USDA says it will begin implementing actions under the plan immediately and says it will continue engaging with stakeholders throughout the process.