Understanding USDA Crop Forecasts

Each month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes statistics and related information about crop production in the United States and the world. Several USDA agencies are responsible for preparing these statistics. The methodology used by the National Agricultural Statistics Service to prepare the crop forecasts is described to give the user of these data a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses. This is followed by a similar description of the world agriculture supply and demand estimates prepared by the World Agricultural Outlook Board