Provided by USDAWASHINGTON, D.C. (NEWS RELEASE) - Today, at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Data Modernization Plan to put Farmers First, reduce unnecessary burdens on producers, and improve the timeliness, accuracy, and usefulness of the agricultural data that informs decisions across American agriculture.

Since USDA was established in 1862, collecting and sharing reliable agricultural information has been central to its mission.

Today, USDA data informs crop and livestock estimates, risk-management tools, disaster assistance, and critical business decisions made by farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, researchers, and policymakers."America's farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our food and agricultural system, and USDA should respect their time while delivering the reliable information they need," said Secretary Rollins.