And if information is incomplete, it loses its usefulness for all users. Nobody, least of all the uncooperative respondent, benefits when information is withheld. If it wasn't for NASS reports, pork producers would not have an unbiased source of market information. Large buyers who can afford their own surveys and analysts would have an advantage in the marketplace. Also, by withholding information the growers weaken the report which creates uncertainty in the market.
Uncertainty is counter productive to proper price discovery or price enhancement.
Markets do react to the Hogs and Pigs Report, so it is important that the reports are accurate. About 21,000 of the 183,000 farms with hogs and pigs were surveyed in December 1996. These producers were identified and added to the NASS universe of users over time. The larger the operation, the more likely we are to sample it. By using the same sample from quarter to quarter, we can pick up more meaningful statistics by measuring relative change.