River Region Times

Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama and Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at modernizing the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The service provides crucial data used by various groups, including producers, insurance adjusters, commodity traders, federal agencies, and policymakers.

"Data provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service is critical to help producers and stakeholders make informed decisions," said Rep. Moore. He emphasized that modernizing NASS would improve data reporting and increase producer response rates while reducing survey fatigue.

Rep. Davis highlighted the importance of NASS data for producers in eastern North Carolina, stating that "the commission will provide complete and thoughtful recommendations on ways to modernize, which will provide USDA and our producers with more accurate data and a more engaging process."

The proposed commission aims to enhance reported statistics, boost producer response rates, and alleviate survey fatigue by collaborating with Congress, the Executive branch, and stakeholders. It will consist of five agency representatives and six representatives appointed on a bipartisan basis by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. A report with recommendations is expected within two years of enactment.

The legislation has garnered support from several organizations including the Alabama Farmers Federation, American Farm Bureau Federation, Auburn University College of Agriculture, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, U.S. Peanut Federation, among others.