A House appropriations subcommittee has approved its Fiscal Year 2025 bill, which includes a directive for the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to reinstate all County Estimates for Crops, the July Cattle report, and the Cotton Objective Yield Survey. This decision comes after NASS announced on April 9 that it would discontinue all county estimates for crops and livestock due to budget constraints, starting with the 2024 production year.
The bill was approved during a markup session on June 11 by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) praised the decision, stating, “NGFA members commend House lawmakers for recognizing the value of these reports to the entire U.S. agricultural value chain and encourage the inclusion of reinstatement language in any final bill. NGFA has been working with the USDA, lawmakers, and other stakeholders toward reinstating these valuable reports, which aid in competition and transparency by providing marketplace fundamental information for the agricultural sector.”
The NGFA emphasized that the NASS county crop estimates are essential for agricultural businesses. These reports help build supply and demand estimates, which are crucial for determining commodity sourcing plans to keep agribusiness facilities operational. Agricultural exporters, processors, and livestock feeders rely on these reports to participate in the export sales market and to make informed purchase decisions.
The NGFA will continue collaborating with lawmakers and the USDA to ensure the reinstatement of county crop estimates.
