Candid Conversation presents a discussion about the topical issues related to Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) priorities, the agricultural industry, and rural communities, in a question-and-answer format. In this edition, David Knopf, Regional Director of the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Eastern Mountain Regional Field Office discusses the importance of data collection for the agriculture industry.

KFB: For our readers who may not know what the USDA NASS Kentucky Field Office does, could you gives us a description of some of the things your office does?

DK: NASS is USDA’s primary statistical agency and publishes reports about crops and livestock. Within Kentucky, the primary job is to collect data from farms and agribusinesses and turn that information into useful reports. Data are collected in a series of surveys throughout the year from a representative sample of farms and agribusinesses. Every 5 years NASS conducts the Census of Agriculture which gathers agricultural information from all farms and about people that operate them.

KFB: Why is collecting the data your office does so important to farmers?

DK: In this data driven world,.. statistics are needed to make informed decisions. Perhaps the two most important reasons are for marketing and farm policy. Markets rely on supply and demand numbers to function, and the statistics NASS publishes help with the supply piece. A somewhat less direct value is the development of farm policy at the federal, state and even local level.

KFB: How does the general public benefit from the information collected by your office?

DK: Benefits resulting from statistics are often indirect. I think this is true for how the general public benefits from USDA agricultural statistics. Two concerns that many people have are an adequate food supply and a strong economy. Data provides information to understand the food supply and helps to maintain a more stable market. Similarly, a strong farm economy contributes to a better overall economy, especially for rural communities. Understanding the farm economy through statistics contributes to better farm policy and can improve the profitability of farm businesses.

KFB: In looking at the 2024 growing season, we seem to have been behind in the planting process. How unusual is it to see a season like we are seeing?

DK: Each year is a unique set of circumstances, making it difficult to say what is normal. Of course weather is the primary factor influencing crop progress and condition. Fortunately there hasn’t been widespread adverse weather making this an average year in terms of planting and crop development. One of the favorable outcomes is the winter wheat crop. It has had some of the highest condition ratings on record and the yield forecast is 83 bushels per acre, which would make it the third highest yield on record.

KFB: The office publishes a crop progress report every week during the growing/harvest season. How do you collect that info and what is the biggest benefit from doing that?

DK: It starts with reports from University of Kentucky Extension staff, and some USDA staff. They report crop progress, crop and livestock condition and other pertinent information for their county. That information is then summarized and prepared into a report. The report also contains a weather summary from the University of Kentucky Ag Weather Center.

It’s probably the most popular NASS report because it provides a state-wide view of crops and livestock. It allows agribusinesses, university staff, commodity organizations, government and others, to make informed decisions based on real-time data.

KFB: There is a world of information one can see from your webpage. Tell us a little about that. It seems like that would be a monumental task to gather all that information.

DK: The NASS webpage has evolved into the primary means of disseminating data to the public. All published data, from about 400 reports annually, can be accessed from the site. It is an everyday task to gather data from farms and agribusinesses, and turn that data into useful statistics. It takes a full-time staff of about 30, and another 25 part-time individuals to accomplish the tasks for Kentucky.

KFB: The NASS website can be useful to farmers but what can the non-farming public learn from this information?

DK: I occasionally receive requests for statistics from students doing research reports or science projects, so I know it can be used by non-farming individuals. More often, I think individuals with farming experience will take the information and package it in a way that is easier for the non-farming public to use. A great example of this is the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom, #TeachKyAg.