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USDA seeks input on data reporting as farmer trust concerns grow

The U.S. Ag Secretary told attendees at the Ag Outlook Forum last week USDA reports remain gold standard for market reporting, but there’s room for improvement.

Brooke Rollins said farmers across the country continue to ask how the USDA gathers and reports data, and it’s important the agency is accurate and transparent.

“We want to ensure at the USDA we’re framing the status of the market, not driving price outcomes.”

The USDA is currently taking public comments on a Request for Information looking at ways to improve.

Sam Hudson with Corn Belt Marketing says he’s not sure what a solution looks like, but a gap in USDA’s 2025 corn acreage reporting has been confusing and concerning.

“When you continue to see acres added after the June report and not just a little bit, we gained a lot of acres from the spring, and when you’re still adding to it in January, something doesn’t add up to the producer. And when you can’t explain why, I think it adds to that distrust.”

He says the reluctance for USDA to bring demand up to trend supplies is also a concern.

Hudson tells Brownfield a farmer’s frustration with USDA data has been long-standing and becomes more pronounced when there are tight financial conditions.

“As that trust erodes, farmers want to respond even less, which makes the data even worse.”

He says it’s unclear if farmers will respond to USDA’s request for comment, because they could feel like the comments submitted won’t lead to change.

USDA’s RFI will be open for public comment for 45 days and a preliminary analysis from the feedback will be discussed at a data users meeting in Kansas City in late April. Read more.