By Lacy "LP" McKay
Farmers and grain traders have expressed concerns about USDA’s reporting of acreage and yields for the 2025 U.S. corn crop. Throughout the growing season, USDA raised and lowered the number of acres planted and the expected yields several times, but in January, the agency made a final revision that increased the size of the crop by over 17 billion bushels. This final USDA’s estimate represented unprecedented increases from initial estimates in June. Farmers saw already-low grain prices sink more than 5%, at a time when growers were struggling to make ends meet. The revisions prompted USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, which releases acreage estimates, to launch an internal review, according to a top National Agricultural Statistics Service official.
Observers report that confidence in USDA reporting has slipped across the agricultural economy. According to Farm Journal’s January Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, which was released at the Top Producer Summit in mid February, the majority of economists, producers, and retailers say their confidence in USDA reports has declined compared to past years. 68% of economists and 73% of agricultural producers and 78% of retailers say that they are less confident in USDA reports. According to Reuters’ News Service, USDA Has Launched an Internal Review. Deputy Agricultural Secretary Stephen Vaden said, “USDA expects its data to be the best, to ensure farmers have accurate information to make decisions about their operations. He also stated that “USDA economists’ job is to provide the truth, even if it is not what people want to hear. Our job is not to be popular, it is merely to be right, because that’s what we ask of them.”
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