Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins addressed mounting concerns from farmers nationwide regarding the Department of Agriculture’s data collection and reporting methods during last week’s Ag Outlook Forum.
While defending the USDA’s market reports as the industry’s “gold standard,” Rollins acknowledged there’s opportunity for enhancement. She noted that agricultural producers throughout the nation are increasingly questioning the department’s data gathering processes and seeking greater transparency.
“We want farmers to have confidence in our reporting,” Rollins emphasized, highlighting the agency’s commitment to maintaining both accuracy and openness in its market analysis.
The secretary’s comments come as trust issues between farmers and federal agricultural reporting agencies have become more prominent, with producers seeking clearer explanations of how market data is collected and analyzed.
