Farmers have been frustrated by some recent USDA data that bucked industry expectations by a large margin. The collective concern has been loud enough that the agency is now opening a request for information on “Opportunities, Challenges and Emerging Areas in Statistical Data, Analysis and Research at USDA.”
In the RFI, USDA said, “There is always room for improvement to further enhance accuracy and usefulness.”
The goal is to ensure those who use USDA data understand the agency’s methodology, an element seen as “paramount to the integrity of these products,” said Scott Hutchins, undersecretary for research, education and economics.
“We rely on farmers for their survey contributions, so this request will, hopefully, convey our sincerity to use their data in a transparent and objective manner,” he said.
Comments are being collected until April 9. USDA will provide preliminary analysis of feedback at its 2026 Spring Data Users Meeting on April 22.