These include legislative requirements and intent, maintaining financial integrity, information needed to calculate benefits, burden on the customer, burden on FSA employees, and information technology capability. We have a responsibility to protect the taxpayer's interests when delivering these services and that often times mandates collection of additional information. Material improvements in burden reduction will come from consolidating collections across USDA service center agencies and with State and local entities, improving information sharing, and implementing revised information collection processes that support contemporary business techniques, such as providing electronic access capability. Continued funding for staffing and technical infrastructure are needed to turn these opportunities into realities. In these times of extreme market volatility when farmers and ranchers are shouldering more and more of the responsibility for their own risk management, they require reliable and timely information on weather, markets, and programs.
Good information is the mothers-milk of risk management.
FSA and USDA are committed to providing this essential component to the nation's farmers and ranchers.