USDA Data Users Meeting

0003 - 2015 USDA Data Users Meeting.pdf

Agricultural Prices

USDA Data Users Meeting

OMB: 0535-0003

⚠️ Notice: This form may be outdated. More recent filings and information on OMB 0535-0003 can be found here:

Document [pdf]

Download: pdf | pdf

University of Chicago – Gleacher Center
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

2015 USDA Data Users Meeting
October 28, 2015
University of Chicago – Gleacher Center
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
AGENDA
12:30 pm ................................................................................................................................................ Registration
1:00 p.m. .................................................... Introduction and Welcome .............................................Hubert Hamer
National Agricultural Statistics Service
1:05 p.m. .................................................................. Overview .............................................................. Mark Harris
National Agricultural Statistics Service
1:15 p.m. ............................................................ Agency Reviews ............................................................................
Mike Lynch, Agricultural Marketing Service
Mark Jekanowski, Economic Research Service
Patrick Packnett, Foreign Agricultural Service
Hubert Hamer, National Agricultural Statistics Service
Seth Meyer, World Agricultural Outlook Board
Joseph DeCampo, U.S. Census Bureau
2:30 p.m. ...................................................................... Open forum for questions and comments from participants
2:45 p.m. .......................................................................................................................................................... Break
Open forum continues
3:45 p.m. ...............................................................................................................................Concluding Comments
4:15 p.m. ............................................................................................................................................................. End

USDA Data Users Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
October 28, 2015

Data Users Meeting Participants
Name

Organization

Gloria Anderson

USDA NASS

Brad Anderson

Global Ag

Daniel Basse

AgResource Company

Jason Beall

Kellogg

William Benson

Federal Milk Marketing Order 30

Ankush Bhandari

Gavilon, LLC

Ernie Birchmeier, Jr.

Michigan Farm Bureau

Gary Blunmenthal

World Perspectives, Inc.

Brenda Boetel

Unvi. Wisconsin-River Falls

Alan Brugler

Brugler Marketing & Management LLC

Maria Bukowski

LDC

Peter Burr

USDA/FAS

Justin Caine

Caine Futures

Kevin Caine

Caine Futures

Don Cekandeu

DC Analysis

William Chambers

USDA WAOB

Corey Cherr

Thomson Reuters

Mary Cloran II

Love Morale

Don Close

RABO Bank

Patricia Collins

CFTC

Bryan Combs

USDA NASS

Jack Cook

CME Group

Andrew Crafton

CME Group

USDA Data Users Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
October 28, 2015

Data Users Meeting Participants
Name

Organization

Joseph DeCampo

U.S. Census Bureau

Steve Doench

Agrible

Erik Dohlman

USDA ERS

Ashley Downs

Cornell University

Neal Driscoll

Citadell

Benjamin Duncanson

The Farm Credit Council

Dale Durchholtz

AgriVisor LLC

Edward Ebert

Indiana Soybean Alliance / Indiana Corn Marketing Council

Eric Eichhorn

USDA AMS

Harold Ferguson

USDA/AMS/Diary/Federal Milk

Ronald Frantz

FAS/OGA

Bob Garino

USDA NASS

Joe Gaynor

USDA AMS

Mike Gazall

LaSalle Group

Jerry Gidel

Rice Dairy

John Ginzel

Trader

Matthew Gregg

USDA NASS

Mildred Haley

USDA ERS

Tina Hall

USDA NASS

Hubert Hamer

USDA NASS

Mark Harris

USDA NASS

Megan Hassenbrock

ConAgra

Ethan Hendricks

Noble Agri

USDA Data Users Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
October 28, 2015

Data Users Meeting Participants
Name

Organization

Lance Honig

USDA NASS

PJ Huffstutter

Thomson Reuters

Austyn Hughes

USDA-GIPSA-FGIS

Calvin Hui

Gator Trading

Julie Ingwersen

Reuters

Lee Jackson

Morgan Stanley

Mark Jekanowski

USDA/ERS

Lisa Jenkins-DePeiza

USDA NASS

Michael Jewison

USDA WAOB

Michael Johnson

Dairy Management, Inc.

Knox Jones

AES

Troy Joshua

USDA NASS

Altin Kalo

Steiner Consulting

Brad Karmen

USDA FSA

Dan Kerestes

USDA NASS

Willis Kidd

Citadell

Andrew King

Thomson Reuters

Bryce Knorr

Farm Futures/Penton Agriculture

Jeff Koenig

Data Library

Gavin Koo

Bain Capital

Eugene Kunda

CFTC

Bill Lapp

AES

Jerry Lavin

CFTC

USDA Data Users Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
October 28, 2015

Data Users Meeting Participants
Name

Organization

Ken Lovett

ADM

Lelia Lubin

Researcher

Mike Lynch

USDA AMS

Scott Main

Kellogg

Anamaria Martins

Thomson Reuters

Michael McDonald

USDA Federal Milk Market

Steve Megan

EMI Analytics

Keith Menzie

USDA WAOB

Seth Meyer

USDA WAOB

Katie Micik

DTN

David Miller

Iowa Farm Bureau

Jose Montes

SuKarne

Danny Na

Reuters

Bruce Nelson

INTL FCStone

John Newton

NMPF

Gary Niedfeldt

Perdue AgriBusiness

Jerry Norton

USDA WAOB

Patrick Packnett

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

Marina Perez Ramirez

Thomson Reuters

Brian Perillat

Canfax

Joshua Perlam

Thomson Reuters

Rafael Peruzzo

Noble AGRI SIA

Marie Pierson

CF Industries

USDA Data Users Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
October 28, 2015

Data Users Meeting Participants
Name

Organization

Charles Piszczor

CME Group

Karl Plume

Thomson Reuters

Greg Pompelli

USDA - ERS

Lori Porter

Drake Trading

Daniel Redo

Thomson Reuters

Terry Reilly

Futures International LLC

Dan Reimer

Maple Leaf Foods

Tracey Rigaux

Phoenix Agritec

Aurea Rivera

Imagineering Results Analysis Corp.

James Robb

LMIC

Jessica Sampson

LMIC

Drew Saunders

CFTC

Sarah Schares

Bunge North America

Mark Schleusener

USDA NASS

Robert Schoening

USDA AMS

Randy Scollan

Doane Advisory Services

Mirvat Sewadeh

ERS

Shayle Shagam

USDA WAOB

Oscar Shi

Millennium

Marc Siebrecht

Bunge North America

Leonard Steiner

Steiner Constulting

Jennifer Sumi

LaSalleGroup/Rosenthal Collins

Graham Swanepoel

Bunge North America

USDA Data Users Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
October 28, 2015

Data Users Meeting Participants
Name

Organization

Suzanne Thornsbury

USDA ERS

Marty Thornton

Heartland Bank Agricultural Services

Tom Tice

USDA FSA

Glynn Tonsor

Kansas State University

John Trischan

Thomson Reuters

Adam Turchioe

Thomson Reuters

Cheryl Turner

USDA NASS

Jacquelyn Voeks

Stewart-Peterson

Cory Walters

University of Nebraska

David Weaber

Delhaize America

Mark Weinraub

Reuters

Kristopher Williams

TransMarket Group

Jeff Wilson

Bloomberg

Hong XU

Thomson Reuters

Trevor Yates

Gator Trading

Wang Ying

Innovation Center for US Dairy

Libin Zhou

Thomson Reuters

The mission of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is to
facilitate the competitive and efficient marketing of agricultural products.
USDA DATA USERS’ MEETING 2015
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) includes four commodity programs: Cotton and Tobacco; Dairy;
Specialty Crops (formerly Fruit and Vegetable); and Livestock, Poultry, and Seed. The programs provide
standardization, grading, and Market News services for those commodities. They enforce such Federal Laws as
the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), the Federal Seed Act, Country of Origin Labeling
(COOL), Dairy Product Mandatory Reporting (DPMR), and Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR). AMS
commodity programs oversee marketing agreements and orders, administer research and promotion programs,
and purchase commodities for Federal food programs. In addition, AMS encompasses five programs providing
services spanning across commodity areas: Compliance and Analysis, Information Technology Service, Science
and Technology, Transportation and Marketing, and the National Organic Program.
The four commodity programs have supplied Data.gov with links to annual historical summaries and additional
links to their respective databases.
CURRENT ISSUES OF INTEREST
100 Years of Market News:
This year marks the 100th anniversary of USDA Market News. In 1915, the first Market News report was sent
by telegraph letting buyers and sellers across the country know the price of strawberries in Hammond,
Louisiana. A century later, AMS issues more than 250,000 reports each year that get more than 53 million
views. Over the years, our reports have evolved but our service and dedication to the agricultural industry
remains our focus.
Market Analysis & Reporting System:
In October 2014, AMS began developing a new standardized information management system, the Market
Analysis & Reporting System (MARS), which will assist all commodity areas of Market News in the collection
and distribution of information from remote locations. A new web application will be implemented in autumn
2015 as the first phase of combining all reporting functions into a single, user-managed platform. This will
facilitate the flow of data from the data provider to the market reporters and on to the public, and will allow
users to build unique content throughout the data model.
New Market News Portal and AMS Website:
In December 2014, AMS released an innovative version of the Market News Portal with simplified navigation
giving users easier, more logical access. The new Portal combined information from the four commodity

programs into a single interface, and utilized the best of current technology for a new Java-based platform to
improve reliability. The Market News Portal was first launched in 2005.
In August 2015, AMS introduced its new website to its stakeholders. The website uses a completely new design
and information structure, is task-oriented and geared toward helping stakeholders better understand regulations
AMS enforces, services AMS provides, and grades and standards of agricultural products. As the program used
most by AMS stakeholders, Market News is showcased as the topmost tab on the new website which users can
use to maneuver to individual Market News commodity program webpages and the new Portal.
Customer Satisfaction Survey:
In July 2015, AMS Market News received the results of its most recent Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS).
The CSS includes questions that make up the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) – a national
indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of goods and services available to U.S. residents. Since 1999,
over 100 federal government agency programs have used ACSI which allows for the direct comparison or
benchmarking with other federal agencies and institutions. ACSI helps frame the CSS results and determines
focus areas for Market News.
Market News received over 1,600 completed surveys from users and earned an ACSI score of 70 which
compares very favorably with the Federal Government benchmark of 64. The highest score area for Market
News was for Customer Service with a score of 84, followed by Quality of Information at 78, Likelihood to
Recommend at 79, and a 77 for being Reliable and Accurate.
Complete results will be shared on the new AMS Market News webpage. Market News will use CSS feedback
to enhance reports with richer content and user-friendly formats, as well as introduce more custom query
capabilities to fully empower users. Improvements will complement other open data sharing initiatives allowing
users to automatically pull data on demand from AMS using industry accepted means.
Federal-State Cooperation:
AMS Market News currently has cooperative agreements with 29 States for commodity market reporting
activities. These cooperative working relationships enable resources at the Federal and State levels to be
leveraged to expand the breadth, depth, and dissemination of market reporting to the benefit of the industry and
information users. In particular, State reporters cover livestock auction markets and other local reporting
activities that would otherwise be costly and difficult to cover using Federal resources.
Local and Regional Market Reporting:
The AMS Market News local and regional webpage allows data users to easily view over 85 Farmers Markets,
7 Farmers Auctions, Farm-to-School prices for 2 states, a national local and organic retail report, and Direct-toConsumer sales reports for 2 states. This year, Market News revised 8 Federal-State cooperative agreements in
collaboration with State Departments of Agriculture to capture additional local and regional food market prices
and volumes.

Market Information Organization of the Americas (MIOA):
Specialty Crops (formerly Fruit and Vegetable) Market News continues to represent AMS and serve as the
Chair of the Market Information Organization of the Americas (MIOA). MIOA is a network of institutions from
33 member countries that, like Market News, track and report markets for agricultural products in Western
Hemisphere countries. The main purpose of MIOA is to facilitate the timely and consistent exchange of market
information and to work toward creating guidelines for the methodology, terminology, and technology used in
market information systems within the Western Hemisphere.
Several key initiatives are underway at MIOA that will benefit the agro-industrial sector:
• The Wiki, an online dictionary, in English and Spanish, of agricultural products on a country by country
basis, which includes the local name for a product and its various attributes in that country. The first
phase of the initiative incorporated Central American countries and the remainder MIOA countries will
be added in the coming months.
• Curriculum development in partnership with key leading agricultural universities in the Western
Hemisphere to build information products using market information and data; Honduras, Trinidad and
Tobago, Costa Rica, and Brazil represented the first group. The goal of the project is to support the
development of courses for current university students, continuing education programs for professionals,
and short courses for the general public. The program will be expanded to more universities, including
U.S. land grant universities.
Livestock, Poultry, and Grain Market News Reporting:
Mandatory Reporting:
The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act (LMR) was reauthorized September 29, 2015, for an additional 5 years
and includes a few modifications for swine and lamb reporting requirements. For swine, a definition and
reporting requirements were added for negotiated formula and late day purchases. For lamb, the definitions of a
lamb packer and a lamb importer were modified to lower the reporting thresholds of each. Lastly, the LMR
Reauthorization specifies that a study be conducted by the USDA (AMS and the Office of the Chief Economist)
in consultation with the livestock and meat industry to analyze current livestock marketing practices; identify
future legislative or regulatory recommendations; analyze price and supply information reporting services of
USDA related to cattle, swine, and lamb; and address any other issues that the Secretary considers appropriate.
On September 2, 2015, a 5-day rolling average price was added to eight daily purchased swine reports, and four
prior day purchase swine reports. The average is an addition to the negotiated live and carcass basis prices
which include head counts, price spreads, and daily weighted averages. It is a weighted average price that
includes data released on the current day and the four previous days for negotiated swine; and will only include
data that has passed the 3/70/20 confidentiality guidelines. This 5-day average price helps normalize the
reported information and mute the volatility of the daily market fluctuations.
Cotton Market News Reporting:
Cotton Market News has developed additional comma-separated cotton price data files that are available
through e-mail requests sent to [email protected]. Data for the past three marketing years, as well as
the 2015-2016 marketing year to date, is available.

Specialty Crops Market News Reporting:
On September 16, 2015, the AMS Fruit and Vegetable Program changed its name to the Specialty Crops
Program to bring the program into line with a Congressional definition. The term ‘specialty crop’ means fruits
and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). Now, the
Market News division is now known as Specialty Crops Market News.
This year, the division has added a number of new packages, origins, and varieties to its market reports as they
have emerged in the marketplace or in response to industry requests to track and report specific products.
The tool developed by Fruit and Vegetable Market News a few years ago, the Custom Average Pricing tool
(CAT), remains a popular addition to the tools available on the Market News Portal. Features of CAT include:
• Terminal Market, Shipping Point, and Retail averages plus Shipping Point over Movement (volume)
comparison
• Information on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and season (for shipping point) basis with data
availability from 1998 to the present
• Dynamic Filters that allow the user to summarize large data sets quickly and make customized “what if”
queries
• Dashboards for viewing the price trend over a period of time with the additional ability to view the
average at each price point when the user places the mouse over the graph
• Aggregated data in table format, downloadable as a CSV file which can be opened by spreadsheet
programs such as Excel
Market News Reports:
Dairy
The National Retail Report – Dairy is now issued on a Weekly basis, rather than a Biweekly basis; more stores
are being captured; and the summary data is now available through the Market News Portal.
Local and Regional
New reports listed on the AMS Market News local and regional webpage:
WA_LO100
Washington, DC
National Retail Report – Local and Organic
LSWVTFM
Montpelier, VT
Vermont Weekly Farmers Market Report (Seasonal)
RA_LO103
Raleigh, NC
North Carolina Pasture Raised Pork Report
MD_DA910
Madison, WI
Dane County Farmers Market
NW_LO100
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines Farmers Market Report
LSWMarylandFMMeatEggPoultry
Annapolis, MD
Maryland Wkly Farmers Market: Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Summary
SF_LO100
Sioux Falls, SD
National Tribal Grown, Produced, or Harvested
LSMMSFM
Jackson, MS
Mississippi Monthly Farmers Market Report
NW_IO102
Des Moines, IA
National Pastured Pork Report

Livestock, Poultry, and Grain
New Reports:
AL_LS751
PYDSEINDEX
MG_LS550
LN_GR112
JK_LS152
SV_LS139
JC_LS325
LM_HG216
LM_HG217
WH_LS765
WH_LS766
NW_GR312
WH_LS767
GL_GR112

Las Cruces, NM
Des Moines, IA
Montgomery, AL
New Holland, PA
Jackson, MS
Louisville, KY
Jefferson City, MO
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines, IA
Kearney, NE
Kearney, NE
Des Moines, IA
Kearney, NE
Greeley, CO

Discontinued Reports:
AP_LO100
Annapolis, MD
AP_LO101
Annapolis, MD
AP_LO102
Annapolis, MD
AP_LO103
Annapolis, MD
AP_LO104
Annapolis, MD
AP_LO105
Annapolis, MD

Columbus Livestock Auction
Shell Egg Index Report
Russellville Sheep and Goat Auction
Lancaster County Daily Hay Report
Integrity Livestock Auction
Albany Remote Video Auction
Maryville Sheep and Goat Auction
Daily Direct Hog – Morning Summary
Daily Direct Hog – Afternoon Summary
Crawford Livestock Market
Gordon Livestock Market
Iowa Hay Report
Sheridan Livestock Auction Co.
National Weekly Non-GE/GMO Grain Report

Maryland Weekly Farmers Market Summary
Baltimore City Farmers Market (JFX Market) – Baltimore, MD
Anne Arundel County Riva Farmers Market – Annapolis, MD
Bowie Farmers Market – Bowie, PA
Crofton Farmers Market – Crofton, MD
Downton Cumberland Farmers Market - Cumberland

ERS Market Outlook Program:
Moving Forward
Mark Jekanowski
Mark
Jekanowski
Deputy Director for Outlook
October 28, 2015

ERS Commodity Outlook Products
• Outlook reports:
–M
Monthly: feedgrains, oilseeds, wheat, rice, cotton, sugar,
thl f d i
il d
h t i
tt
livestock (incl. dairy and poultry)
– Quarterly: US ag trade
– Semi‐annually: Vegetable/pulses, Fruit and Tree nuts
• Data products:
– Dozens of products updated continually: Feedgrains
Dozens of products updated continually: Feedgrains
Database, Commodity Yearbooks, Cost and Returns,
Livestock Domestic Data, Dairy Data, Vegetable and Pulses
Data, etc.

Recent Special Outlook and Research Reports
•

US‐Cuba Agricultural Trade: Past, Present and Possible Future (AES‐87, June 17,
2015)

•

Middl E t N th Af i R i
Middle East North Africa Region: An Important Drive of Agricultural Trade (AES‐
A I
t tD i
f A i lt l T d (AES
88, July 14, 2015)

•

Effects of Recent Energy Price Reductions on U.S. Agriculture (BIO‐04, June 02,
2015)

•

Cotton Policy in China (CWS‐15C‐01, March 31, 2015)

•

Biofuel Use in International Markets: The Importance of Trade (EIB‐
Biof
el Use in International Markets The Importance of Trade (EIB
144, September 01, 2015)

•

China’s Growing Demand for Agricultural Inputs (EIB‐136, February 19, 2015)

ERS Commitment to Staffing
• Maintain a Senior Analyst (GS‐14) position for each major
WASDE commodity, and expand the number of junior analysts
assigned to the Outlook program to support long‐term
succession planning
i
l
i
• Strengthen the (GS‐15) Cross Commodity Analyst role to
emphasize timely analysis of critical issues, coordination of
research and outlook, and mentoring junior staff
• Enhance the cooperation/coordination between research and
outlook staff
• Build workforce and align incentives for outlook work at ERS
Build workforce and align incentives for outlook work at ERS
• Implemented a “career ladder” that allows promotion from GS‐9 to
GS‐13, and with open competition for GS‐14 and GS‐15 positions
• Leading a multi‐agency effort to strengthen the pool of candidates
with the skills and interest necessary for outlook work

Staff Structure: Animal Products ICEC
Branch Chief
Erik Dohlman

Cross‐Commodity Analyst
Ken Mathews/Keithly Jones

Cattle/Beef

Hog/Pork

Poultry

Dairy

Ken Mathews

Millie Haley

Dave Harvey

Jerry Cessna

Seanicca Edwards

Alex Melton

Sahar Angadjivand

Sean Ramos

Roger Hoskin

Staff Structure: Crops ICEC
Branch Chief
Suzanne Thornsbury

Cross‐Commodity
analysts
Ed Allen

Field Grains

Wheat

Rice

Cotton and wool

Sweeteners

Oil Seeds

Tom Capehart

Gary Vocke

Nathan Childs

Les Meyer

Mike McConnell

Mark Ash

Jennifer Bond

Olga Liefert

Steve MacDonald

Shelbi Knisley

Staff Structure: Specialty Crops and
Trade
Branch Chief
Branch Chief

Suzanne Thornsbury

Andrew Muhammad
Andrew Muhammad
Cross‐Commodity Analyst
(Vacant)

Country Experts

Organics/Specialty
Crops Research
Gustavo Ferreira

Trade Outlook Specialist
Bryce Cooke
Vegetables and Pulses
Nina Wells

Jen Bond

Fruits and Nuts
Fruits and Nuts
Agnes Perez

Kristy Plattner

ERS Commitment to Outlook Content and
Communication
• Establish ERS as the Department’s primary source of timely and
comprehensive information on commodity markets and outlook
– Facilitate public access to the full range of data used by commodity analysts
– Greater use of explanatory materials and descriptive analyses to assist users
in understanding market developments
• Provide more charts and graphs—automated and/or interactive where possible—to
highlight data trends and multi‐year or seasonal comparisons

– Improve the customer/stakeholder experience:
• Website improvement/reorganization
• Use the best technologies to maximize accessibility to timely, critical information
• Provide internal and external users reasons to visit ERS for commodity market information
on a daily or weekly basis, as opposed to only on S&O report release dates

ERS Commitment to Outlook Content and
Communication (cont..)
• “Re‐invent” the Special Outlook report:
– Shorter, quicker, exclusive focus on timely issues relevant to commodity
markets
• Examples: Impacts of lower energy prices on agriculture, Outlook for trade
with Cuba, Cotton Policy in China, etc.
• Timely review, clearance and production process to maintain the relevance
and timeliness of the information.

• Continue Situation and Outlook reports, while exploring ways to
enhance the content and improve the format
p
– E.g., less WASDE table‐reading, more context and “cross commodity” focus
– Developing a plan/prototype to release in html “long‐form” content
– Situation and Outlook reports are among the most widely accessed ERS products

Key points
• ERS has strong commitment to the Outlook program
that encompasses:
– People: Maintaining a robust staffing plan that ensures
deep expertise and opportunities for career advancement
– Data and Content: Large investments in data automation,
and an emphasis on value‐added report content and
information delivery
– Communications: Capitalize on ERS investments in
Communications: Capitalize on ERS investments in
innovative publishing and communications platforms and
technologies

Contact
Gopi Munisamy
Director, Market and Trade Economics Division
202‐694‐5201; [email protected]
Mark Jekanowski
M
kJ k
ki
Deputy Director for Outlook, MTED
202‐694‐5152; [email protected]

Update on Information and Data Products Available from
USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service
October, 2015
FAS Continues to Have Great Success With GovDelivery
For just over a year now, FAS has been having tremendous success using GovDelivery to disseminate reports and
information to the public. In addition to receiving information by country or commodity, FAS has added the
ability to sign up for our commodity circulars (World Markets and Trade Reports) and to sign up for information
regarding our upcoming trade missions. GovDelivery has made FAS part of a network of more than 1,000
agencies and organizations worldwide, connecting to more than 70 million potential subscribers. Over the past
year, FAS has sent nearly 600 messages to 2.8 million recipients.
The most popular subscription categories included:
 FAS Press Releases with more than 13,700 subscribers
 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) Reports with nearly 11,000 subscribers
 World Agricultural Production Reports with more than 10,600 subscribers
GAIN Reports Integrated with the FAS Website
For the past year, FAS has been integrating Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) Reports directly
into the FAS website, www.fas.usda.gov. The goal is to make the reports easier to find by making them appear
on pages relevant to both their subject matter and the countries of origin. The integration will also make things
easier on the public by allowing the user to stay on the FAS site to get the materials and not have to search the
GAIN system separately. To-date, FAS has loaded more than 2,000 GAIN Reports onto the FAS website.
FAS has also begun highlighting key reports on the main pages for each relevant country – particularly those
related to exporting regulations and strategies. That is an ongoing process which should be completed by early
2016.
FAS continues to review reporting requirements for our overseas FAS offices based on developments in relevant
countries and global commodity markets. For example, in 2015, additional reports were added for wheat in
Uruguay, Paraguay and Jordan.
For more information, contact Corey Jenkins at [email protected]

Additions and Modifications to FAS Data Products
Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS)
In 2013, a significant enhancement to the Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) database was the addition of
agricultural, fishery and forest products data from the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN
Comtrade). Public users can now query official annual trade statistics reported by foreign countries that reflect
international merchandise flows detailed by commodity and partner country. As of the summer of 2014, users can
now select UN data by English or Spanish commodity groupings. The availability of UN data, combined with
U.S. export and import data from the U.S. Census Bureau, means GATS users have increased ability to gather and
analyze agricultural trade data.
In 2013, revisions to the BICO aggregate groups were made to provide more specificity for major products
previously grouped in broader aggregates. Changes include the creation of several new stand-alone categories
21

(e.g. Corn from Coarse Grains, and Beef & Beef Products and Pork & Pork Products from Red Meats). In
addition, a new aggregate group, “Agricultural Related Products,” includes Forest and Fishery products and the
newly added aggregates for Distilled Spirits, Ethanol and Biodiesel. For more information, please contact Jason
Carver at [email protected].
In 2013, a new processed food product group was also made available. For standard queries, users can access the
new group by selecting “Processed Food-*” under the “Product Group” drop-down menu. FAS also developed a
fully-formatted report that summarizes annual trade data for the 19 categories and 67 sub-categories at the HS 6digit level.

Agricultural Tariff Tracker
To help exporters obtain information about tariff reductions resulting from Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), FAS
launched the Agricultural Tariff Tracker in 2013. This tool is available on the Trade Policy/Trade Agreements
topic page of the FAS website. Currently, the tracker has information for trade agreements with 10 FTA
partners. Information for other FTA partners and new tariff codes will be uploaded as they become available. For
more information please contact Jason Carver at [email protected] or Jeff Jones at
[email protected].
Production, Supply and Distribution (PS&D) Online
The Production, Supply and Distribution (PS&D) system is the official USDA supply and demand database of
agricultural commodities for the U.S. and key producing and consuming countries. For commodities covered in
the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, the database is updated shortly
after noon on the day of release.
FAS is working on upgrading the PS&D Online system to make it more user-friendly and enable it to have
interactive features. Some of the expected enhancements are extensive use of maps for world commodity data
with the ability to drill down to country and region specific data, query by country or commodity, easier and more
intuitive navigation, accessible archive of past circulars, charts with comparison options between countries and
advanced query options. The new system will retain all functionality which exists today. If data users have ideas
on how to make the system better, please email them to [email protected].

Export Sales Reporting
Authorized under Section 602 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, the Export Sales Reporting (ESR) Program
requires exporters of reportable U.S. commodities to report each week all of their export sales, regardless of the
quantity, to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are
40 commodities currently covered under the program. FAS knows how important the ESR data is to the U.S.
market place and takes its responsibilities for managing this vital program very seriously. We continue to take
steps to improve how well the data is presented and improve the flow of information to the public. In addition to
being available online, ESR weekly and daily reports are now available through email via GovDelivery to all
users who sign up. Another improvement this year was the addition of a new ESR report entitled the Bell Report.
The Bell Report is available on line and provides more detail on country specific activity including changes of
destination as well as much-sought-after cancellations by country and commodity.
In 2013, FAS added pork to the ESR program and continues to look at possibly adding other commodities.
USDA issued a “proposed rule” adding distillers dried grains (DDGs) to the program, but based on comments
received and ongoing DDG trade policy issues, USDA has decided to hold off for now on adding DDGs to the
ESR program. For additional information, contact Peter Burr at [email protected].

Production Estimates
An effort is being made to increase the number of special articles being published to the PECAD website that
provide information about crop production around the world. The access point for the PECAD site is
http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov and not through the main FAS web site at this time.
Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) data was added to Crop Explorer to provide more accurate rainfall
estimates by combining passive microwave imagery from the SMOS satellite with data from the U.S. Air Force
Weather Agency. However, SMOS-corrected soil moisture maps have been temporarily removed because they
were underestimating actual soil moisture conditions. Corrections to the algorithms are being implemented and
the SMOS-corrected soil moisture maps should be available by the Data Users meeting in October 2015.
Maps showing evapotranspiration anomalies around the world are new on Crop Explorer. The source information
is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and for convenience the maps are available through Crop Explorer.
The product uses the thermal band of the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellites to
estimate the difference from normal evapotranspiration levels. Evapotranspiration anomaly levels are another
indicator of plant health and are correlated with crop yields.

Foreign Agricultural Service
Patrick Packnett
Assistant Deputy Administrator
Office of Global Analysis

Office of Global Analysis

Daniel Whitley
Deputy Administrator

Patrick Packnett
Assistant
Deputy Administrator

Renee Schwartz
Assistant to the Deputy Administrator

International Production
Assessment Division

Global Commodity Analysis
Division

Global Policy
Analysis Division

Ron Frantz, Director

Aileen Mannix, Director

Paul Trupo, Director

(Vacant) Deputy

Richard Omeara, Deputy

Dorsey Luchok, Deputy

Bell Report

PSD Redesign‐ email
suggestions to
[email protected]

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE
STATISTICS DIVISION
What’s New and What’s Changing
Mission Statement: To provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U.S. Agriculture

Crops
Starting with the 2015 crop season, objective yield data from the Crop Production reports are being
published to QuickStats.
Estimates of days suitable for fieldwork, topsoil moisture condition, and subsoil moisture condition for all
states are now published in the weekly National Crop Progress report. Previously these estimates were only
published in individual State releases.
Preliminary market year average prices for rice will now be published in the Agricultural Prices report at the
end of October. Previously these estimates were published at the end of August. Although later than
previously published, these estimates will now be more complete, allowing FSA to issue payments earlier
than before.
Estimates for Upland Cotton, American Pima Cotton, and All Cotton are now published for the United States
in the monthly Cotton Ginnings reports. Previously only American Pima and All Cotton estimates were
included in these tables.
The Cotton Ginnings report containing preliminary end-of-season estimates which has normally been
published near the end of March has been discontinued. A monthly Cotton Ginnings report will now be
published in early March. The Cotton Ginnings Annual report will continue to be published in May.
Beginning with the 2016 crop forecasting season, NASS will begin including combined objective yield State
components in the monthly Crop Production reports. Currently only the individual State counts are included.

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE
STATISTICS DIVISION
What’s New and What’s Changing
Mission Statement: To provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U.S. Agriculture

Livestock
On October 29, 2014, NASS released 3 Final Estimate bulletins covering 5-years of data for Meat Animals
Production Disposition and Income, Milk Disposition and Income, and Poultry Production and Value.
In December 2014, Minnesota became one of the published states for Cattle on Feed. New Mexico is no
longer published.
In December 2014, NASS moved California into the quarterly data collection plan for hogs and pigs.
California collects quarterly data as part of the sample that is used to produce the Other States estimate.
In January 2015, several different states were dropped from the angora, milk, meat and all goats program.
In January 2015, NASS moved Connecticut and Maine from the monthly and annual Chickens and Eggs
program to Other States.
In March 2015, South Carolina became a published state on the Honey Report.
In April 2015, NASS began to collect quarterly honey bee colony loss data from operators with 5 or more
colonies. Honey bee colony loss data from operators with less than 5 colonies will be collected annually in
January of each year.
In July 2015, January and July Catfish Production data became available on Quick Stats starting with 2010
data.
In August 2015, NASS published a Federal Register notice for a new survey to measure the cost of honey
bee pollination to crop producers. This new survey will collect cost of pollination by commodity.
In August 2015, NASS published a Federal Register notice for a change to the annual Bee & Honey survey.
Additional questions to collect cost and revenue information for operators of honey bee colonies is planned.
In September 2015, NASS modified the data collection instrument for the chicken and egg report.
Nomenclature was updated maintaining the historic data series.
In September 2015, South Carolina became part of Other States and is no longer published individually in
the Turkeys Raised release.
In October 2015, NASS is planning to release ‘Overview of the United States Hog Industry’ a special report
providing historical information in text and graphics.

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE
STATISTICS DIVISION
What’s New and What’s Changing
Mission Statement: To provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U.S. Agriculture

Environmental, Economics and Demographics
On August 19, 2015, NASS published the Farm Computer Usage and Ownership. This publication is
released biennial.
For FY 2016, NASS will conduct a 2015 Fruit Chemical Use Survey which will begin on October 1, 2015.
The 2015 Fruit Chemical Usage data will be released in July 2016.
In fall 2015, as part of the Agricultural Resource Management Program Phase II, Production Practices and
Cost report (PPCR) conducted in conjunction with ERS, NASS will collect chemical use and production
practices for the cotton, oats, soybeans, and wheat. The Field Crops Chemical Usage data will be released in
May 2016.
Cash rents was published at the state level for 2015, but a county level survey will be done for the 2016
estimates and published in September of 2016.
NASS Price program changes initiated in 2015 included discontinuing estimation and publication of
preliminary monthly prices. Preliminary price data do not fully account for monthly prices in volatile price
markets resulting in less than desirable information for making reliable income projections and price outlook.
The NASS price program changes for 2015 also replaced the prices received and prices paid 12 month
simple average annual index. The previous annual average index for prices received will take into account
monthly marketing contributions. The prices paid annual index will be based on annual weights.
Publication of historic prices received and prices paid index tables published quarterly in Agricultural Prices
were discontinued and will be published annually in January in conjunction with annual group indexes.
Current and revised indexes continue to be posted to Quick Stats monthly.
The prices paid program eliminated the annual publication of product input prices and value of hatchery
production for poultry.
NASS will publish indexes for the 2011=100 base period to one decimal beginning with the February 2016
Agricultural Prices report and January 2016 indexes.
In 2015, NASS published four Current Agriculture Industrial Reports. They are: Grain Crushing, Flour
Milling Products, Cotton System Consumption and Stocks, and Fats and Oils: Oilseed Crushings,
Production, Consumption and Stocks.
Grain Crushing and Co-Products: This is a monthly report that covers that consumption of corn and
sorghum. The publication provides data about agricultural commodities consumed for alcohol and other uses
as well as the production of co-products and products in the United States.

Flour Milling: This is a quarterly report covers all firms in the United States operating wheat and rye flour
mills. Type of data collected are amount of flour and millfeed produced from wheat and rye.
Cotton Consumption and Stocks, and Spindle Activity: This is a monthly report, but data are collected
weekly. This survey covers all manufacturing plants consuming cotton, manmade fiber staple, and raw
linters except consumption of uncut top and other longer fibers on the "American" and other new systems for
spinning uncut top. Type of data collected are amount of cotton, manmade fiber staple, and raw linters that
are removed from inventory and put into process for carding, spinning, bleaching, etc.
Fats and Oils (Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks): This is a monthly report that
covers most businesses that produce various edible and inedible fats and oils. This report also includes data
that covers all establishments crushing or solvent processing vegetable oil bearing materials {oilseeds, beans,
nuts, etc.}, including establishments using a continuous process that immediately refines the oil. Type of
data collected are amount of crop crushed, amount of processed oil and feed produced.

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE
CENSUS & SURVEY DIVISION
What’s New and What’s Changing
Mission Statement: To provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U.S. Agriculture

Census of Agriculture Program
The final products were released from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. These included special tabulations
regarding Typology, Years on Present Farm of Principal Operator, and Specialty Crops for the U.S. and
Puerto Rico.
Planning is well underway for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. In January 2016, NASS will begin collecting
data for its Content Test. The Content Test is critical for determining the ability to collect new data items on
the census questionnaire. New questions being tested look to capture additional information on veterans and
the expanded role of women and additional operators in an ever-changing farm sector. The Content Test also
serves as a dry run for developing and enhancing data processing systems that will be used for the production
in late 2017. NASS is also looking to expand the use of its electronic data reporting system to capture
additional response utilizing the online form.
In 2015, NASS released the results from two Census Special Studies:
The 2014 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) Survey was conducted
in 2015. This Special Study collected information about farmers and ranchers who rent agricultural
land to other farmers and ranchers, as well as landowners who rent out land for agricultural purposes
but do not farm. The survey collected income, expense, debt, and asset information related to land
ownership, transition plans, and demographic and other landlord characteristics. NASS conducted the
TOTAL survey in collaboration with the Economic Research Service (ERS). Results from this
Special Study were released on August 31, 2015.
The 2014 Organic Survey was conducted in 2015 in conjunction with USDA’s Risk Management
Agency (RMA). This is the third organic production and practices survey NASS has conducted on
the national level; the previous data collection efforts were the 2011 Certified Organic Production
Survey and the 2008 Organic Production Survey. The 2014 Organic Survey is a complete inventory
of all known organic producers in the United States that are certified, exempt from certification
(those grossing less than $5,000 annually from organic sales), and those producers transitioning to
organic production. This study is associated with the 2012 Census of Agriculture and serves as a
census of all organic operations, as directed under the 2014 Farm Bill. Results from this Special
Study were released on September 17, 2015.
In 2015, NASS collected data for the 2014 Census of Horticultural Specialties. This Census Special Study is
the only source of detailed production and sales data for floriculture, nursery, and specialty crops and
provides a comprehensive picture of the horticultural sector of the U.S. economy. Results from this Special
Study will be released on December 14, 2015.

(Data are for the first of the month
except that the data for December are
issued in January)
Cattle on Feed
(Data are for the first of the month)
Hogs and Pigs
(Data are for the first of the month)
Plantings
(Data are collected during the first
half of March and June)

DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE/ NATIONAL
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
SERVICE
Agricultural Prices
(Data are for the previous full month)
Crop Production
(Data are for the first of the month)
Grain Stocks

AGENCY/INDICATORS

---

FEB

JAN

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JULY

AUG

SEPT

OCT

SCHEDULE OF RELEASE DATES FOR PRINCIPAL FEDERAL
ECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR 2016

NOV

DEC

United States Department of Agriculture

World Agricultural Outlook Board
Questions about World Agricultural Outlook Board programs may be directed to Seth Meyer, Chairman, WAOB, Mail Stop
3812, South Building, USDA, Washington, D.C. 20250-3812; [email protected].

The World Agricultural Outlook Board’s (WAOB) primary mission is to provide reliable and objective
economic forecasts for farmers and other participants in the food and fiber system. Functions include
coordinating USDA forecasts of domestic and international agriculture; providing economic analysis
related to global commodity markets; monitoring markets and agricultural weather; and disseminating
relevant information.
Seth Meyer, Chairman, WAOB, oversees the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates
(WASDE) report. Dr. Meyer has spoken to delegations from Mexico, Nepal, Offutt Business School in
Minnesota, Statistics Canada, the University of Cincinnati, and a Chinese delegation, among others.
Interagency Commodity Estimates Committees (ICECs), chaired by WAOB senior economists, clear all
USDA economic outlook reports to ensure consistency with official USDA estimates. The committees
develop crop production forecasts each month for major foreign producing countries, and supply and
demand estimates for the United States and the world. Four USDA agencies are represented on the
committees: the Economic Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Farm Service
Agency, and the Agricultural Marketing Service.
Report Usage: In the past year, WAOB issued 12 monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand
Estimates (WASDE) reports; and published 52 weekly Weather and Economics Briefing reports. During
FY ‘15, the WASDE report averaged over 155,000 downloads per month, from USDA. The Mann
Library at Cornell University distributed the WASDE, on average, over 23,500 times per month, and had
15,443 subscriptions.
WAOB oversaw the annual publication of the inter-agency USDA Agricultural Long-term Projections to
2024, updated and released every February. The Long-term Projections reports provide a conditional,
long run scenario about what would be expected to happen to the global agricultural economy under a
continuation of current farm legislation and other specific assumptions. These reports are important
sources for strategic planning information used in formulating the President’s budget, and for decisions
made by agricultural producers, agribusiness leaders, and policy officials.
Mark Brusberg, Deputy Chief Meteorologist, is a key contributor to new agreements between USDA
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fostering increased collaboration on
drought-related activities. He is currently working with the National Drought Resilience Partnership, an
intergovernmental task force outlined in the President’s Climate Action Plan, and the Critical
Infrastructure Security and Resilience Interagency Policy Committee, led by the National Security
Council. Mr. Brusberg also chairs USDA’s Combined Drought and Water Management Team, and is a
lead USDA representative to the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology.

Agricultural Weather Monitoring and Assessments: WAOB’s staff of meteorologists generates
timely weather and crop assessments in support of the monthly Crop Production and WASDE reports
issued by National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and WAOB, respectively. The meteorologists
also provide weekly updates of crop weather to USDA Radio and often appear on local and national
radio and television broadcasts. As recognized experts within the Department, they are sometimes
tasked with attending Capitol Hill briefings and reviewing legislation and testimony, and occasionally
contribute assessments and products to the USDA blog and other publications. Another key duty is to
meet with foreign delegations and domestic groups regarding the process of using weather and climate
products to produce operational agricultural assessments. WAOB meteorologists publish the Weekly
Weather and Crop Bulletin, which provides the public with weekly assessments of global agricultural
weather. Data and products are supplied to the WWCB by NASS and NOAA’s Climate Prediction
Center, through a formal agreement establishing the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility. The WWCB
averaged nearly 33,000 downloads per week during FY ‘15, from USDA, and over 5,924 downloads per
week from the Cornell site. Cornell subscribers total 7,159. On a rotating basis, WAOB meteorologists
prepared the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor and the monthly North American Drought Monitor. WAOB
continues to support the World Meteorological Organization, including the World Agrometeorological
Information Service (WAMIS), which helps communicate weather and climate information to the global
farming community.

Economic Data from the U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau provides information that tells the story of our changing economy. The
Economic Indicators, Economic Census and our quarterly and annual economic surveys give Federal,
state, and local governments, policy makers, and business and community leaders the information
needed to make informed decisions that shape our economy.

Issues of Interest to Data Users
1. New Products from the U.S. Census Bureau
Advance U.S. International Trade in Goods Report
The Census Bureau’s new advanced trade release is published approximately one week ahead of the
monthly report U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services (FT900), and will provide more timely
statistics regarding the export and import of goods.
The first release occurred at 8:30 a.m. on July 30, 2015 and featured advance statistics for June 2015.
The new advance trade release will focus on goods and will list them by “end-use” category, such as
consumer goods, capital goods or industrial supplies. It will include both seasonally adjusted and
unadjusted data, and will be available on Census’s website: www.census.gov/trade.
The advance trade of trade in goods data will provide BEA with more accurate data for their Advance
Estimate of GDP and will reduce GDP revisions over time.

USA Trade Online - Updates
Redesigned Website:
In May 2015, we launched a new version of USA Trade Online (UTO) with a redesigned website. This
new website layout provided a simpler and cleaner navigation. We also transitioned the account
management system from the legacy platform to a new PHP system, which provided more features for
customers to manage their account.

UTO to be FREE on October 15, 2015:
We streamlined our pricing plans to individual customers by eliminating the annual and weekly
subscription plans. Instead, we only kept the monthly subscription as a way to make a smoother
transition to the FREE subscription launch in October. The FREE system will be a seamless transition
for current customers. Site license customers and Federal Depository Libraries will no longer have IP
Access for UTO. However, all reports they have will be intact enabling them to transfer to the new
setup.
New Fields and Quick Reports:
In addition to going FREE in October, we will add new fields (13 in imports and 3 in exports). We are
also adding new quick reports that will provide high-level summary tables and graphs. This new version
will also feature description of fields and reports within the UTO data selection and report pages. For
more information on the new fields and quick reports, please view the attached flyer.

Manufacturing and Trade Report (MITR)
On August 28, 2015, we released the Manufacturing and International Trade Report (MITR) for 2013. It
includes manufacturing data from the 2014 Annual Survey of Manufactures and the 2012 Economic
Census Subject Series. The report also includes official U.S. export and import merchandise trade
statistics for those same years.
In January 2016, we plan to release the 2014 MITR, which will include data from the 2014 Annual
Survey of Manufactures and revised 2013 data, along with 2014 and 2013 U.S. export and import
merchandise trade statistics.
The information will give a clearer picture of exports of U.S. manufactured products as well as the
foreign contribution to manufacturing industries.

World Pop Clock
The World Population Clock, one of the most popular features on Census.gov, was greatly expanded on
September 3, 2015. For the first time, basic population facts and visualizations are available for 228
countries and areas around the world, just as they are for U.S. states. World Population Clock users can
now get Census Bureau data on international trade in goods by country, and it is easy to download, share
and embed the data in social media.
Annual import and export value totals for all U.S. trade partner countries available in the World
Population Clock are the following.
Totals by types of goods (2005-2014) are available for:
• All Manufactured Goods
• Total Goods
Totals by State (2014) are available for:
• State of Origin for exports
• State of Destination for imports
• By NAICS4 commodity code
38

2. Principal Economic Indicators
The U.S. Census Bureau's Economic Indicators keep the world informed by providing the first
official measures of the U.S. economy. Our Economic Indicator surveys provide monthly and
quarterly data that are timely, reliable, and offer comprehensive measures of the U.S. economy.
These surveys produce a variety of statistics covering construction, housing, international trade,
retail trade, wholesale trade, services and manufacturing. The survey data provide measures of
economic activity that allow analysis of economic performance and inform business investment and
policy decisions. The data can be accessed via the Economic Indicator Briefing Room, Economic
Indicator Database, and the America's Economy Mobile App.
•

Economic Indicator Briefing Room
The Economic Indicator Briefing Room web site provides access to the latest data, full release
reports, historical data, and time series and trend charts. census.gov/economic-indicators

•

Economic Indicator Database
Select an economic indicator and customize your data selection. Ability to download the data to
a spreadsheet and create your own time series charts. census.gov/econ/currentdata

•

America's Economy Mobile App
The "America's Economy" app provides realtime updates for 20 key economic indicators
released from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic
Analysis. The app provides the public access to key economic indicators about the health of the
U.S. economy through any IOS or Android smart phone or tablet device.
census.gov/mobile/economy

3. International Trade
Each month, the U.S. Census Bureau releases the U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services
(FT900) report, which is one of the principal economic indicators for the United States. This report can
be found along with other information on our website census.gov/trade
•

Regulations Town Hall Webinar Series
The Regulations Town Hall Webinar series was developed to provide training on the regulatory
changes to the FTR. There were twelve webinars specifically focusing on the changes to the
regulations. In addition, the Basics of Exporting Compliance Summer Series was developed to
provide an overview on regulatory requirements from Census, State, Treasury, and Commerce.
Both of these webinar series are archived at: www.census.gov/foreign-trade/outreach.

•

15 CFR PART 30 — Foreign Trade Regulations
The U.S. Census Bureau's International Trade Management Division published the final rule
revising the Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR), Title 15, Part 30 on March 14, 2013 which
amended the FTR published in 2008. In this rule, the Census Bureau requires mandatory filing of
export information through the Automated Export System (AES) or through AESDirect for all
shipments of used self-propelled vehicles, regardless of value or destination. In addition, the rule
outlines the reporting of two additional data elements, license value and ultimate consignee type,
as well as a modification to the postdeparture filing requirements. Under informed compliance
from April 5, 2014 to October 2, the rule is now in effect and fully enforceable.
To prepare for the changes to the FTR, the international Trade Management Division has
developed new resources for the trade community, including informational videos
(http://www.census.gov/tradevideos) and posts on our blog, Global Reach
(http://blogs.census.gov/globalreach).
For further information, please email [email protected] or use the International Trade Helpline
number, 1-800-549-0595.

•

Questionable data should be brought to our attention as soon as possible. Potential data errors
caught early are easier to verify and improve the quality of data going forward. To request data
verification, please contact Ms. Carol Aristone, Chief ([email protected]) of our
International Trade Indicator Micro Analysis Branch.

4. Other Economic Data from the U.S. Census Bureau
•

Public Sector
The public sector data provide information on the organization, finances, and employment of
approximately 90,000 state and local governments. census.gov/govs

•

County Business Patterns (CBP)
County Business Patterns provides annual information about establishments with paid employees
by NAICS industry down to the county level. This series includes the number of establishments,
employment during the week of March 12, first quarter payroll, and annual payroll.
census.gov/econ/cbp.

•

Nonemployer Statistics
Nonemployer Statistics includes annual information about businesses with no paid employees by
NAICS industry down to the county level. Most nonemployers are self-employed individuals
operating unincorporated businesses (known as sole proprietorships), which may or may not be
the owner's principal source of income. census.gov/econ/nonemployer

•

Information on all of the U.S. Census Bureau's economic products can be found at
census.gov/econ

Correspondence
Mr. Nick Orsini, Chief
Economic Indicators Division
U.S. Census Bureau
Room 7K154
Washington, DC 20233-6010
Phone: (301) 763-6959
Email: [email protected]

The Manufacturing and International
Trade Report

The U.S.
Census Bureau
measures the
nation's people,
places, and
economy.

For information on
manufacturing data,
contact:
1-800-201-4647, Option 1
www.census.gov/
manufacturing

A Vital Resource
for Businesses
that Conduct
International
Trade
On August 28, 2015,
the U.S. Census Bureau
is releasing the 2013
Manufacturing and
International Trade
Report (MITR). This
annual report contains manufacturing data from the 2013 Annual Survey
of Manufactures and the 2012 Economic Census Subject Series. The MITR
also includes official U.S. export and import merchandise trade statistics
for those same years.
For the first time, the
MITR will be presenting
multiple years of data in
one report (i.e. 2013 and
2012), which is how the
report will be produced
going forward.

For information on
international trade data,
contact:
1-800-549-0595, Option 4
www.census.gov/trade

In January 2016, the
Census Bureau plans
to release the 2014
MITR. The report will
present manufacturing
product data from the
2014 Annual Survey of Manufactures and revised 2013 data, along with
2014 and 2013 U.S. export and import merchandise trade statistics.

43
MITR/15(1)

311111
311111
3111111
3111111
3111114
3111114
311111W
311111W
311111X
311111X
311119
311119
3111191
3111191
3111195
3111195
311119B
311119B
311119H
311119H
311119M
311119M
311119P
311119P
311119R
311119R
311119W
311119W
311119X
311119X

NAICS-based
Product Code

Manufacturing and International Trade Report: 2013 and 2012 (1)

Dog & cat foods
Dog & cat foods
Dog food
Dog food
Cat food
Cat food
Dog and cat food manufacturing, nsk, total
Dog and cat food manufacturing, nsk, total
Dog & cat foods
Dog & cat foods
Other animal foods
Other animal foods
Chicken and turkey feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Chicken and turkey feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Complete dairy cattle feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Complete dairy cattle feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Complete swine feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Complete swine feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Complete beef cattle feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Complete beef cattle feed, supplements, concentrates, and premixes
Other poultry and livestock feed
Other poultry and livestock feed
Other prepared animal feeds, including feeding materials and adjuncts
Other prepared animal feeds, including feeding materials and adjuncts
Specialty feeds
Specialty feeds
Other animal food manufacturing, nsk, total
Other animal food manufacturing, nsk, total
Other animal foods
Other animal foods

Description
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012

Year
20,347,326
19,341,586
14,376,863
13,300,512
5,411,817
5,500,693
558,646
540,381
N
N
35,170,876
34,123,527
13,222,009
13,070,074
6,246,773
6,205,702
4,031,109
3,806,503
3,111,827
3,060,968
2,298,609
2,254,083
2,335,086
2,038,274
2,660,690
2,531,593
1,264,774
1,156,330
N
N

Value of
Product
Shipments
0.4
X
0.6
X
0.3
X
0.1
X
X
X
0.3
X
0.4
X
0.8
X
1.4
X
0.6
X
0.9
X
1.5
X
0.5
X
0.3
X
X
X

Relative
Standard
Error (%)
1,364,635
1,312,828
N
N
N
N
N
N
1,364,635
1,312,828
1,677,253
1,531,244
N
N
27,774
28,490
N
N
N
N
N
N
60,116
61,753
112,232
117,857
N
N
1,477,130
1,323,142

Total Export
Value of
Goods
1,351,346
1,308,750
N
N
N
N
N
N
1,351,346
1,308,750
1,666,647
1,514,830
N
N
27,756
28,470
N
N
N
N
N
N
60,112
61,737
109,982
115,537
N
N
1,468,796
1,309,084

639,762
710,892
N
N
N
N
N
N
639,762
710,892
597,561
556,467
N
N
19,008
25,479
38,386
46,380
91,028
54,514
N
N
13,064
17,522
5,379
4,428
N
N
430,694
408,142

Page 1

639,762
710,892
N
N
N
N
N
N
639,762
710,892
603,324
550,876
N
N
19,008
25,479
38,386
46,380
91,028
54,514
N
N
13,064
17,522
5,379
4,428
N
N
436,457
402,551

Domestic
General
Consumption
Export Value Import Value Import Value
of Goods
of Goods
of Goods

In thousands of dollars. Values are based on manufacturing data from the 2013 Annual Survey of Manufactures, 2012 Economic Census
Subject Series, and administrative records from official U.S. import and export merchandise trade statistics.
(1) Data for 2012 supersede the data that were previously published in the 2012 Manufacturing and International Trade Report.

New in USA Trade Online

U.S. and World Population Clock
Statistics available for more than 200 countries

Canada
Basic Facts

After October 15, 2015
Population

Peopel per sq. km

35.1 Million

3.9

Males per 100 females

Children per woman

USA
98.4 Trade Online
1.6
Goods exported from U.S.

will be FREE
$312.4 Billion

Goods imported to U.S.

$347.8Billion

Change in exports from U.S. for 2005 to 2014

47.%

to all users

Exports
• Card Count
• Quantity 2
• Domestic/Foreign Indicator
World

Imports
• Card Count
• County Subcode
• Rate Provision Code
General
Population by
Top Exported Goods by
U.S. TradeImports
in
Age and Sex
U.S. State or Territory
• Quantity 2Manufactured Goods • CIF Value
• the
Unit
Access
newValue
population clock via www.census.gov/popclock
Imports for Consumption
• Quantity 1
• Total Value
• Quantity 2
• Unit Value
• Dutiable Value
• Calculated
Source:Duty
census.gov/popclock
• CIF Value
For more information, news, and announcements please visit our webpage www.usatrade.census.gov
or contact us via email at [email protected]
or call 1-800-549-0595 (option 4)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
www.census.gov

New in USA Trade Online

U.S. and World Population Clock
Statistics available for more than 200 countries

Canada
New
Report Features

Basic Facts
Population

Peopel per sq. km

35.1 Million

3.9

Males per 100 females

Children per woman

Goods exported from U.S.

Goods imported to U.S.

98.4

$312.4 Billion

1.6

$347.8Billion

Change in exports from U.S. for 2005 to 2014

47.%

Current data in interactive
quick reports

Population by
Age and Sex

World

U.S. Trade in
Manufactured Goods

Top Exported Goods by
U.S. State or Territory

Access the new population clock via www.census.gov/popclock

Expanded graphics and menus

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
www.census.gov

Source: census.gov/popclock

U.S.
and World
Population
Clock Web Applications
U.S.
and
World
Population
Clock
Statistics available for more than 200 countries.
Statistics available for more than 200 countries

www.census.gov/popclock/world

U.S. and World Population Clock Web Applicatio
Statistics available for more than 200 countries.

Canada
Basic Facts
Population

35.1 Million

Males per 100 females

98.4

Goods exported from U.S.

$312.4 Billion

Peopel per sq. km

U.S. and World Population Clock
3.9

*Demographic data as of July 1, 2015, Economic da

Children per woman

1.6

Statistics available for more than 200 countries

Goods imported to U.S.

$347.8Billion

Key Functionali

Change in exports from U.S. for 2005 to 2014

47.%

Expanded Data Options

Canada

•

World

Select a date to display t
h͘^͘ƉŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶŽŶĂŐŝǀĞ
ĚĂǇ͕ŵŽŶƚŚ͕ĂŶĚǇĞĂƌ͘

*Demographic data as of July 1, 2015, Economic data as of 2014

• Population statistics for individual countries
• Trade statistics
º
Current
and
projected
population
estimates
º Annual trade figures for individual countries
Basic Facts
Key
Functionality:
º Population density and break down by age and sex º Top
goods by state•and,ŽǀĞƌŽǀĞƌĂǇĞĂƌŝŶhŶ
change in export trade
Population

Peopel per sq. km

35.1 Million

3.9

Males per 100 females

Children per woman

98.4

Goods exported from U.S.

$312.4 Billion

1.6

•

Goods imported to U.S.

$347.8Billion

Change in exports from U.S. for 2005 to 2014

47.%

^ƚĂƚĞƐZĞŐŝŽŶĂůWŽƉƵůĂƟ
Select a date to display the
ďǇzĞĂƌĂŶĚĂƐĞƌŝĞƐŽĨ
h͘^͘ƉŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶŽŶĂŐŝǀĞŶ
ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚĂŐĞƐǁŝůůĚŝƐƉůĂǇ
ĚĂǇ͕ŵŽŶƚŚ͕ĂŶĚǇĞĂƌ͘
ƐŚŽǁŝŶŐƚŚĞĚĂƚĂ͘
Key Functionality:
*Demographic data as of July 1, 2015, Economic data as of 2014

•

,ŽǀĞƌŽǀĞƌĂǇĞĂƌŝŶhŶŝƚĞĚ
• WƌĞƐƐ͞ƉůĂǇ͟ƚŽĂŶŝŵĂƚĞ
• Select a date to display
the
^ƚĂƚĞƐZĞŐŝŽŶĂůWŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶ
ŐĞĂŶĚ^ĞǆƉǇƌĂŵŝĚĐŚ
World
h͘^͘ƉŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶŽŶĂŐŝǀĞŶ
ŚŽǀĞƌŽǀĞƌĂǇĞĂƌƚŽĚŝƐƉ
Population by
Top Exported
Goods by
U.S. Trade inďǇzĞĂƌĂŶĚĂƐĞƌŝĞƐŽĨ
ĚĂǇ͕ŵŽŶƚŚ͕ĂŶĚǇĞĂƌ͘
ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚĂŐĞƐǁŝůůĚŝƐƉůĂǇ
ƚŚĞĚĂƚĂĨŽƌĂŐĞĂŶĚƐĞǆ
Age and Sex
U.S. State or Territory
Manufactured Goods
ƐŚŽǁŝŶŐƚŚĞĚĂƚĂ͘
• ,ŽǀĞƌŽǀĞƌĂǇĞĂƌŝŶhŶŝƚĞĚ
• /ŶDŽƐƚWŽƉƵůŽƵƐĂŶĚ
Access the new population clock via www.census.gov/popclock
^ƚĂƚĞƐZĞŐŝŽŶĂůWŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶ
• WƌĞƐƐ͞ƉůĂǇ͟ƚŽĂŶŝŵĂƚĞƚŚĞ
,ŝŐŚĞƐƚĞŶƐŝƚǇ͕ƐĞůĞĐƚĂ
ďǇzĞĂƌĂŶĚĂƐĞƌŝĞƐŽĨ
ŐĞĂŶĚ^ĞǆƉǇƌĂŵŝĚĐŚĂƌƚŽƌ
ĐŽƵŶƚǇŽƌƐƚĂƚĞ;ďǇĐůŝĐŬŝ
ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚĂŐĞƐǁŝůůĚŝƐƉůĂǇ
ŚŽǀĞƌŽǀĞƌĂǇĞĂƌƚŽĚŝƐƉůĂǇ
ĂŶĚďĞƚĂŬĞŶƚŽYƵŝĐŬ&Ă
ƐŚŽǁŝŶŐƚŚĞĚĂƚĂ͘ ƚŽĞǆƉůŽƌĞĞǀĞŶŵŽƌĞĚĂ
ƚŚĞĚĂƚĂĨŽƌĂŐĞĂŶĚƐĞǆ͘
ĂďŽƵƚǇŽƵƌƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ͘
• WƌĞƐƐ͞ƉůĂǇ͟ƚŽĂŶŝŵĂƚĞƚŚĞ
• /ŶDŽƐƚWŽƉƵůŽƵƐĂŶĚ
Source: census.gov/popclock
ŐĞĂŶĚ^ĞǆƉǇƌĂŵŝĚĐŚĂƌƚŽƌ
,ŝŐŚĞƐƚĞŶƐŝƚǇ͕ƐĞůĞĐƚĂ
ŚŽǀĞƌŽǀĞƌĂǇĞĂƌƚŽĚŝƐƉůĂǇ
Population by
Top Exported Goods by
U.S. Trade inĐŽƵŶƚǇŽƌƐƚĂƚĞ;ďǇĐůŝĐŬŝŶŐͿ
ƚŚĞĚĂƚĂĨŽƌĂŐĞĂŶĚƐĞǆ͘
ĂŶĚďĞƚĂŬĞŶƚŽYƵŝĐŬ&ĂĐƚƐ
Age and Sex
U.S. State or Territory
Manufactured Goods
ƚŽĞǆƉůŽƌĞĞǀĞŶŵŽƌĞĚĂƚĂ
• /ŶDŽƐƚWŽƉƵůŽƵƐĂŶĚ
August 2015
Access the new population clock viaĂďŽƵƚǇŽƵƌƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ͘
www.census.gov/popclock
,ŝŐŚĞƐƚĞŶƐŝƚǇ͕ƐĞůĞĐƚĂ
ĐŽƵŶƚǇŽƌƐƚĂƚĞ;ďǇĐůŝĐŬŝŶŐͿ
ĂŶĚďĞƚĂŬĞŶƚŽYƵŝĐŬ&ĂĐƚƐ
ƚŽĞǆƉůŽƌĞĞǀĞŶŵŽƌĞĚĂƚĂ
47
ĂďŽƵƚǇŽƵƌƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ͘
Source: census.gov/popclock

August 2015

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

T R A D E

S T A T I S T I C S

PRODUCTS and SERVICES

TO HELP YOU EXPORT

GET STARTED with

1 2 3 4 EASY STEPS

KNOW the RULES BEFORE EXPORTING

RESEARCH with OUR DATA

AVOID THE FINES AND PENALTIES.

IDENTIFY YOUR MARKET.

Knowing the foreign trade regulations will expedite
your exports and help you avoid unnecessary fines
and penalties. If you have questions or if you are still
unsure of the regulations, one of our experts can help
clarify them for you.

We have an extensive database of import and export
information to help you search and identify the
market to export your products. With tools like USA
Trade Online, making an informed decision based on
hard facts couldn’t be simpler.

Helping you report your exports is our business.

It feels good to be well-informed, doesn’t it?

Visit census.gov/trade and click on Regulations.
Or call 1-800-549-0595, option 3.

Visit census.gov/trade and click on Data
or usatrade.census.gov for a free trial.
Or call 1-800-549-0595, option 4.

CLASSIFY YOUR PRODUCTS

FILE YOUR EXPORTS with AESDIRECT

KNOW THE CODES.

DO-IT-YOURSELF.

Our up-to-date Harmonized System (HS) Schedule
B search engine can help you properly classify the
products you’re exporting. In addition to being
organized, it will also help you avoid those fines and
penalties mentioned earlier.

Use AESDirect, our online self-filing software, to
submit Electronic Export Information (EEI) directly to
the Automated Export System (AES).

Visit www.census.gov/ScheduleB to search.
Or call 1-800-549-0595, option 2.

For more information, visit aesdirect.gov.
or call 1-800-549-0595, option 1.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
census.gov

It’s quick. It’s easy. And best of all, it’s free.

check out our blog @ GLOBALREACH.BLOGS.CENSUS.GOV

NOTES

USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum
February 25-26, 2016
Arlington, Virginia

Mark your calendars! USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum brings together the agricultural
community to discuss policy, trade, science, rural development, and the economic outlook for the coming
year. The Forum also focuses on forestry, health and nutrition issues, and the changing dynamics and
face of rural America.
Sessions tentatively planned for the 2016 Forum are the following:
Food Price and Farm Income Outlooks, International Trade, Conservation, Nutrition, Food Safety,
Agricultural Marketing Service 100-Year Anniversary, Climate Change, Water Issues & Drought
Response, Moving Feed, Food & Fuel to Market, Regional Approaches to Rural Growth,
Antimicrobial Resistance, Agriculture & Bees, and the traditional commodity and weather outlook
sessions.
In addition to USDA leaders, previous speakers have included former USDA Secretaries of Agriculture,
former President Bill Clinton, Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug, U.S. trade representatives,
Congressional and Cabinet members, CEOs from leading corporations, farmers and ranchers, and other
experts from across the agricultural spectrum.
Registration will begin in November. For more information, please go to:

www.usda.gov/oce/forum
USDA 2015Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program: OCE continues to coordinate
the Diversity Program with ERS, ARS, NRCS, and our partner, the University of Maryland Eastern
Shore. For more information, please contact: Seth Meyer at [email protected].

File Type	application/pdf
Author	Porter, Jean - NASS
File Modified	2015-11-10
File Created	2015-10-21