Revival of USDA reports would cost $7.5 million
USDA officials said that if the money became available, they would restore a handful of crop and livestock reports that were discontinued in April because of a funding gap. “We have heard from our data users how valuable this information is,” said Troy Joshua, executive producer for the Agricultural Statistics Board, on Wednesday.
Revive discontinued reports, lawmakers ask USDA
Three lawmakers who oversee the USDA budget urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reinstate a handful of reports that were cancelled recently for budgetary reasons. "These reports provide critical supply-and-demand data that are not available in any other [USDA] report and are essential to preventing market volatility," wrote Reps. Andy Harris and Sanford Bishop and Sen. John Hoeven.