The record-low response rate for a USDA survey of crop planting plans released this week is raising questions both about the government’s ability to gather data and farmers’ willingness to trust it.
The 37.6 percent response rate for the annual March survey was the lowest ever, according to National Agricultural Statistics Service Chair Lance Honig. The latest numbers reflect a trend toward lower participation over the past decade that has accelerated in the last couple of years, said former USDA chief economist Seth Meyer.
“We’ve got kind of a circular problem going on here, which is if confidence is lost, farmers respond less and the reports have bigger potential for error and farmers lose confidence,” Meyer said.
Farmers rely on data like the projected plantings survey released Tuesday to help them determine how much and which crops they will sow. Accurate data is particularly important during periods when farmers are facing economic headwinds, like they are now with production costs spiked by the Iran conflict.
