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NASS to boost sampling, restore county outputs and roll out release‑oriented data platform
Summary
The National Agricultural Statistics Service signaled larger sample sizes for key crop surveys, reinstated several county‑level data series and previewed a new web platform intended to make USDA releases easier to find and contextualize.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) said it will pursue immediate steps to improve data precision and accessibility, announcing planned sample increases and the restoration or return of several previously discontinued county datasets.
Lance Honig, chair of NASS’s Agricultural Statistics Board, told the data users meeting that NASS is seeking Office of Management clearance to increase the June crop survey sample by roughly 35% (with smaller increases for September, December and March quarters) to boost the number of usable responses for key acreage and production estimates. Honig said NASS will also continue work to better prefill online census and survey forms with previously reported data to lower respondent burden.
NASS officials described recent restorations of county‑level estimates for some commodities and the return of certain periodic reports (for example, a reinstated July cattle report and a cotton objective‑yield survey in selected states). Honig said those restorations reflect user demand and NASS’s ongoing five‑year programmatic review following each census of agriculture.
The agency also previewed a new dynamic, release‑oriented web platform that will present data by report/release instead of only through Quick Stats tables. The platform, Honig said, will make it easier for users to find related releases, see documentation alongside data, and access geospatial tools that support county‑level analysis.
NASS emphasized it will continue to rely on multiple collection modes (mail, web, phone, face‑to‑face) and to expand collaboration with state partners (NASDA) and NASA for geospatial validation. Officials asked stakeholders to help encourage response rates in their constituencies, noting higher response both improves precision and reduces the need for larger samples.
NASS intends to publish the May set of county forecasts and will provide additional detail on the rollout and schedule for the new platform in coming weeks.
