The National Agricultural Statistics Service, the arm of the US Department of Agriculture that counts the country's crops and livestock, launched a data application called AgInsights on 16 September.

The service describes AgInsights as part of a longer modernisation programme. It is built to deliver the agency's existing data products through a more interactive interface, with the stated aim of letting producers navigate to the latest agricultural figures more directly than the current reports allow.

"AgInsights is an important step forward in how producers interact with agricultural statistics," said NASS Administrator Joseph L. Parsons. "By streamlining information delivery and integrating advanced technologies, we're making it easier for producers to access, analyze, and apply the latest data to their operations."

The agency says it put the application in front of an initial group of agricultural data users before release and used their feedback to shape it across commodity sectors.

NASS also frames the launch as an access question. The agency says the tool is meant to reach producers regardless of the size of the operation, including those it describes as having historically faced barriers to getting timely information.

Agricultural statistics of this kind are the raw material for planting decisions, for risk-management products and for the price expectations a farmer carries into a season. Making them quicker to read is a small change with a wide reach.

Details of all NASS surveys and reports remain published at nass.usda.gov.

Source: USDA