View from the Cab: Reports left and right

By Kent Casson

This is not only the time of year for ag meetings, seed corn dinners and annual grain elevator reports, but it is also the time when plenty of information is thrown at us in the farming world.

We just had the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour travel the Midwest last week, including Illinois, to get an idea on what yields may be this fall. It is easier to predict corn yields than soybeans but it would appear we are in for a decent crop based on the weather conditions we have experienced this summer.

A sample of producers from around the country can expect a questionnaire from the USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service as the agency takes a comprehensive look into the 2024 production and supply of small grains, including wheat, oats and rye here in Illinois.

Nearly 2,500 Illinois producers will be contacted late this month to determine 2024 acreage, yield and production for small grain crops. Additionally, NASS will survey commercial grain storage operations to determine estimates of grain stocks stored in any off-farm facility. The data will help the industry evaluate export potential and calculate the supply of crops available for the marketing year.

Producers can respond to the Ag Survey online at agcounts.usda.gov, by phone or mail. Those who have not responded by Aug. 31 may be contacted by a representative to schedule to time to help fill out the survey.

Also, NASS is contacting producers as we speak for the September Hogs and Pigs Survey. Each quarter, this survey provides comprehensive information on market hog and breeding stock inventories as well as pig crop and farrowing intentions in the U.S.

Data gathered in the September survey will allow NASS to accurately measure and report conditions and trends in the U.S. pork industry over the past three months. The information is used by all sectors of the industry, including producers themselves, to help make sound and timely business decisions.

NASS is mailing questionnaires to hog producers throughout August and farmers are encouraged to respond online. NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified as required by federal law. NASS will publish the survey results in the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report on September 26, available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.

For assistance with the survey or more information, contact the NASS Heartland Regional Field Office at 800-551-1014 or nassrfohlr@usda.gov.