New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-07-12
ACCURACY IS AIM
IN CROP REPORTS
Department of Agriculture Gath.
ers Information on Ameri-
can Food Production.
STRICT SECRECY MAINTAINED
Forecasts Reflect Efforts Of Farmers
for Maximum Yields and Have I'm.
mediate and Marked Effect
on Various Markets.

Dependence Of a large part Of the
world upon American farm production
has focused public attention upon the
crop reports Of the United States de
partment Of agrlculture-repOrts which
the United States government spon.
sors and protects from illegal use tc
the ultimate degree.
Just now the crop reports are re
fecting the efforts Of American farm.
ers for maximum production. When
small crops are reported the news
serves to prepare the country and en-
able necessary adjustments.
Strict Secrecy Rules.
The crop reports, too, have an i'm
mediate and marked effect upon the
markets. Their great Importance in
this field has made necessary thorough
safeguards against premature publica-
ton and unauthorized use. Every
venue through which information
might be filtered from the locked
rooms where the reports are finally
prepared is closed and remains closed
until the second, when, as shown in
the picture, the signal for release is
given.
On "crop reporting day" at an hour
set months In advance, newspaper and
press association representatives gath
err in the main building OF the depart
ment Of agriculture. Each has near
at hand a telephone already connected
with his office and at the other end Of
the line is a man equipped with a
blank crop reporting form. Shortly
before the moment set copies Of the
completed crop reports are placed on
q table, face down, and each news-
paper man gets his hand on one. At
the signal, given by a high official of
the department. the newspaper men
get to their telephones and In a very
few minutes more the coveted infor-
nation is being read In every large
market In the United States and the
next day, at the latest, 1t is available
In every community Of the United
States and in the larger markets of
foreign countries.
Big Organization Works.
The "~release" Of the crop reports
follows work in which tens Of thou
sands and sometimes hundreds Of thou
sands of persons all over the country
have participated.
Distributed over the country are AZ
salaried field agents, one in each state
Or group of small states. The bureau
also employs ten crop specialists, one
each for cotton, rice and tobacco, who
travel through the regions in which
their special crops are grown. In
addition there are approximately 49,
900 voluntary crop reporters, includ-
Ing county and township reporters and
buyers and handlers of
grain and live stock.
TabuIation Of Crop Information.
The returns from each class of re-
are tabulated and averaged
separately as a check against the
To prevent q total for any of the
,o-called speculative crops, such as
,orn, wheat, oats. barley. rye and cot
ton, from becoming known to any per-
son prior to the time fixed in advance,
even the %tabulators and computers
who make up the totals do not know
the states to which they pertain. The
final Geographic reports and comments
Of the field agents relating to the spec
crops are kept locked in the
office of the secretary Of agriculture
until crop reporting day, when they