Iowa farmer encouraged by USDA data modernization effort

News Iowa farmer encouraged by USDA data modernization effort An eastern Iowa farmer says USDA’s effort to gather producer feedback could help improve agricultural data collection. Lance Lillibridge raises corn and red angus cattle in Benton County, and is a past president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. “USDA and our Secretary Rollins are very motivated to change what’s going on within our data system,” Lillibridge said. He tells Brownfield many farmers across the country have lost trust in the reports issued by the agency. “Unfortunately, the NASS department is defending that they have a good system,” Lillibridge said. “But I don’t know how you say you have a good system when you send out surveys and only get 37% of it back.” During a press conference at the Iowa State Fair, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged that producers have been hesitant to trust USDA data. “Reversing this decline and restoring producer confidence is essential to ensure USDA continues to put out the best data possible,” Rollins said. Rollins says the agency’s data modernization program is expected to be rolled out next week during the Farm Progress Show. Add Comment