Economic and Marketing Information
FOR INDIANA  FARMERS
Prepared by the Agricultural Staff of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana    
June 28, 1968
The How and Why of Government Crop and Livestock Reports
R. E. Straszheim, Agricultural Statistician
WITHIN THE CHANGING FRAMEWORK of
specialization in agriculture, farmers and others
must have reliable and timely economic information
to make better operational decisions. A man's judgment is no better than the facts at hand upon which
to base his judgment. Agricultural statistics or crop
and livestock reports provide the basic facts pertaining to agriculture.
Overall statistics on agriculture are difficult, if not
impossible, for an individual farmer to collect or
obtain. He needs information of what is happening
on other farms as well as his own. The Crop and
Livestock Reporting Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture is the farmer's own accounting
and statistical organization set up to give him this
information. The purpose is to provide information
that will help farmers judge the value of their
products, particularly at harvest or time of marketing, and to provide current statistics about American
agriculture that will enable farmers, businessmen,
legislators and policymakers to make more intelligent decisions.
The facts are useful to farmers directly in planning their farming operations and indirectly as they
help others who are part of the supply and marketing organization that provides service to farmers.
Crop Statistics
The crop reports include estimates of crop acreages that farmers intend to plant, acres planted for
harvest, and harvested acreage. Crop prospects
change from month to month. Therefore, during
the growing season, monthly forecasts of production
are made on the basis of condition of the growing
crops or probable yield per acre as reported on the
first of the month by farmers throughout the nation.
Livestock Statistics
Statistics concerning livestock and poultry production include annual estimates, by classes, of
numbers of livestock and poultry on farms as of
January 1, annual estimates of calf and lamb crops,
and of chickens and turkeys raised. Estimates of
the pig crop are made twice a year for all states as
of June 1 and December 1, and quarterly reports are
issued in 10 Corn Belt states. Quarterly estimates
are made of cattle on grain feed for market in 32 of
the most important cattle feeding states. Also,
monthly estimates are made for the six states feeding about one-half of the nation's cattle. The volume
of milk and egg produced and chicks hatched is estimated monthly.
All forecasts and estimates of agricultural production are made for the United States and for each
state producing the commodity. Also, estimates are
made of prices received by farmers for commodities
sold and of prices paid by farmers for products they
must buy. These two series are the basis for the
parity ratio.
Indiana Cooperates
In addition to state and national estimates, county
estimates are made in many states for the most
important commodities. In Indiana, county estimates
are made of annual milk production, annual egg
production, pigs saved from spring and fall litters,
and acreage, yield per acre and production of the
five most important crops—corn, wheat, oats, soybeans and hay.
Information for these reports is supplied by voluntary reporters and comes from many sources. Individual farmers report through inquiries mailed
directly to them. Often these farmers are asked to
report for their own farm and sometimes on general
conditions in their community. Grain elevators report grain stocks quarterly. Livestock markets report monthly livestock receipts. Livestock slaughterers report on monthly slaughter. Hatcheries report
chicks hatched monthly and placed weekly for
broiler production. Dairy plants report on milk and
cream receipts and quantities of dairy products
manufactured monthly. County agents and other key
people report weekly throughout the growing season
on crop progress.
Each State Crop and Livestock Reporting Service
is responsible for preparing the government crop and
livestock reports for its state. Crop and livestock
reports are prepared in absolute secrecy, and all
information provided by individuals is kept confidential. The sample information collected from reporters in each state is reviewed by the state statisticians, and their recommendations are submitted
to the National Crop Reporting Board in Washington. There, the recommendation for each state is
reviewed by members of the Board behind locked
doors to prevent release of any of the information
before the scheduled time.
The report is then prepared for release as official
estimates at a given time on a given day. The release
dates are set and announced a year in advance so