Strongest storms produced heavy rain and some hail in the northeast on Thursday. Des Moines registered 2.63 inches of rain for the week. Precipitation data corrected monthly from official observation forms. The USDA is gearing up to conduct the 2001 mid-year Agricultural Surveys. These surveys are used in estimating the planted and harvested acreage for principle crops, the amount of stored grain, and livestock inventories.
Farmers face uncertainty about their future ability to sustain business.
Estimates derived from these surveys supply basic information needed by farmers to make decisions for both short term and long term planning, such as to hold or sell crops in storage, or plant or harvest a particular crop, or increase or decrease hog production. With farmers struggling with lower prices combined with higher input costs, land values, rent, and other issues, it is imperative that the farmers and the policymakers have as much information as possible to make good decisions. Crop and livestock reports provide reliable information to place farmers on equal footing with product buyers, bankers, credit associations, agricultural economists, farm organizations, and Federal, State, and local policymakers. Ideally, when all market participants are equally informed, no one has a disadvantage due to uncertainty. It is critical for market information to be distributed widely in all levels of the farming sector.