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NAS recommends new approach on NASS data

The National Academy of Sciences says the USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) needs more data to more accurately determine county crop and cash rent estimates.

NASS agreed several years ago to have the science academy study how the agency reaches those estimates as survey responses kept declining.

The academy report presented a vision, over time, by the year 2025, including changing the Agricultural Statistics Board to models that involve multiple data sources, making sure that all are more transparent and reproducible.

NASS officials say they are moving in that direction.