USDA Asks Farmers for Input on Data Products
USDA requests farmer input to improve agricultural reports, making data more accurate, transparent and useful for producers nationwide.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is inviting farmers, ranchers and other agricultural stakeholders to provide input on its data and research through a new Request for Information (RFI). Announced at the 2026 Agricultural Outlook Forum, the RFI aims to improve the accuracy, transparency and usefulness of USDA’s agricultural reports.
USDA agencies such as the Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service and the Office of the Chief Economist produce data that help shape key reports, including the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, Crop Production Reports and January and July Cattle reports. While these reports are widely used for market forecasting, USDA officials say there is room to make them more accessible and practical for producers.
“Ensuring farmers, ranchers and other users of USDA data better understand the processes and methodology that go into producing these data and statistics is paramount to the integrity of these products,” said Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Scott H. Hutchins. “The RFI published today is another example of how USDA is deploying a Farmers First approach to policy and will help inform future efforts to deliver data that is useful to our customers. 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.”
USDA Chief Economist Dr. Justin Benavidez added, “USDA's data products have long been the gold standard in market reporting. That doesn't mean we can’t make our products better. We’re looking for producer-driven input that can introduce more transparency and ease of access across USDA’s data outputs. We’re also looking for ways to review our own accuracy and take steps to make improvements where we can. If producers don’t believe in our products, we have work left to do.”
The RFI will be open for 45 days, giving farmers and stakeholders an opportunity to share their thoughts on USDA’s data, analysis and reporting processes. Preliminary feedback will be discussed at the 2026 Spring Data Users Meeting on April 22, 2026.
This is a chance for producers to help shape the tools and information they rely on for market decisions, planting plans and risk management. Providing feedback ensures USDA reports are practical, accurate and responsive to the needs of the agricultural community.
