September 13, 2019
Non-substantive Change Request
0535-0002 Crop Progress and Condition Report
This non-substantive change request is to include language relating to the “comment” question at the bottom of the Crop Progress and Condition Report to allow NASS to disclose individual comments provided by the respondents.
The Crop Progress and Condition Report is a survey NASS conducts weekly throughout the growing season and monthly otherwise. This survey provides the USDA and other data users with information to monitor agricultural developments and soil conditions across the country which may affect the nation's food supply. Survey respondents include County Extension Agents, Farm Service Agency (FSA) County officials, and other knowledgeable persons; these individuals are asked to report for the entire county they are in. Also, this group of individuals agree to be in the sample for the entire year. No data are collected for individual farms, ranches, or individuals.
The final question on the Crop Progress and Condition Report asks respondents to provide an open-ended comment. It reads, “Please enter comments on crop conditions, activities, livestock, and any unusual situations.” NASS would like to include the following disclaimer on this question: “By providing a comment, you are agreeing to allow USDA-NASS to include your comment in publications and/or otherwise release it to the public.”
Including this disclaimer will allow NASS to quote these comments in publications the Crop Progress and Condition Report generates, as well as to fulfil occasional data user requests for these comments. All comments will be reviewed before release, and any individual names or references they might contain (which will be unlikely) will be redacted. Allowing data users to see these comments will provide greater insight into the true condition of crops and livestock, as well as the effects of weather situations.
This Change Request will not affect the respondent burden that was approved by OMB on August 28, 2018.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Hancock, David - NASS |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-15 |