The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) leadership recently concluded a deliberate review of all programs against mission- and user-based criteria, aimed at finding cost savings and forward-thinking business efficiencies so that timely, accurate and useful data remains available in service to agriculture.

In 2011, NASS made several enhancements within its programs and operations to deliver improved results for the American people, including opening a new national operations center in St. Louis that will centralize data collection and service to people who provide and use NASS products and services. These efforts and more over the last year have allowed NASS leadership the flexibility within its budget to retain and reinstate several key reports.  

 The reinstated programs are:

            - Annual Reports on Farm Numbers, Land in Farms Reports and Farm Income

           -  Catfish and Trout Reports (data collection began December 9; report released December 20)

            Annual Floriculture Report

           -  January Sheep and Goat Report (data collection begins Dec. 23; report date is Jan. 27)

            - July Cattle Report

            - Annual Bee and Honey Report (data collection begins Jan. 23; report date is March 30)

           -  Annual Hops Production Report (data collection begins Dec. 9; report date is Dec. 21)

            - Annual Mink Report

            - Fruit and Vegetable in season forecast and estimates

            - Rice Stocks June Report

Recognizing the importance of NASS's data products and services to U.S. agriculture, NASS will make available any data that falls outside of the scope of the agricultural estimates programs in the 5-year Census of Agriculture. The next census will be conducted beginning January 2013 to reflect activities in the 2012 calendar year.

NASS will publish Federal Register notices reflecting these program changes in the near future.