May 22 -- The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) invites comment to OMB by June 21, 2023 regarding the Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) program.
The Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) surveys have become an integral part of the Census of Agriculture and numerous other surveys conducted by NASS. Under the authority of the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 (Pub. L. 105–113) and defined under Title 7, Sec. 2204(g), these surveys will be mandatory. The data from the CAIR surveys will supply data users with important information on the utilization of many of the crops, livestock, and poultry produced in the U.S.
Data from these surveys is essential to measuring the consumption of agricultural products in the production of numerous consumer goods. Agricultural products such as grain, oilseeds, fibers, and animal co-products is used in the creation of cooking oils, flour, lubricants, fuel, fabrics, soap, paint, methyl esters, resins, and numerous other products. The data are needed to provide a more complete picture of the importance of agriculture to the American population. Data from these instruments is published and publications are available to everyone at the same time on the NASS website.
NASS began collecting data for the Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) in the latter half of 2014. This replaced a portion of the Current Industrial Reports (CIR) program (0607-0476) which was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau previously. The CIR was discontinued on April 30, 2012. The previous approval (0607-0476) was for 47 different surveys.
Data from the agricultural instruments are used to generate four separate publications. The data from these surveys supply data users with important information on the utilization of many of the crops, livestock, and poultry produced in the United States. NASS collects crop data on acres planted and harvested, production, price and stocks for these crops (grains, oilseeds, cotton, nuts, etc.), along with livestock data on the number of animals and poultry produced, slaughtered, prices, and the amount of meat kept in cold storage. The CAIR data series provides data users with vital information on how much of these commodities were processed into fuels, cooking oils, flour, fabric, etc. These data are needed to provide a more complete picture of the importance of agriculture to the American population.
In order to maintain a complete and comprehensive list of operations, NASS also conducts an Operation Profile periodically to add new operations to the survey population. This profile is also used to identify operations that do not meet the criteria to be included in this group of surveys also to serve as a training tool. The training that will be provided is designed to help insure consistent, accurate, and complete data reported on a monthly/annual basis. These surveys will be conducted as a part of the Census of Agriculture and are mandatory as defined under Title 7, Sec. 2204(g).
Primary users of these data include government and regulatory agencies, business firms, trade associations, and private research and consulting organizations. The USDA World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) uses the data in many of their indexes. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses the data in the estimation of components of gross domestic product (GDP) and the estimate of output for productivity analysis, respectively. Many government agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and International Trade Administration use the data for industrial analysis, projections, and monitoring import penetration.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service will use the information collected only for statistical purposes and will publish the data only as tabulated totals. The target population will consist of managers of processing facilities that produce oils and fats from animals, grains, oilseeds, nuts, tree fruits or vegetables; or operations that are involved in the storing, rendering, or marketing of these products. Managers of ethanol plants, cotton gins, and flour mills will also be included in the target population for this group of surveys. Estimated Number of Respondents: 760.
Proposed changes from the currently approved information collection include:
(1) NASS currently collects “Vegetable foots, raw and acidulated” data in the monthly Animal and Vegetable Fats and Oils survey and publishes results that meet NASS confidentiality and quality standards in the “Fats and Oils: Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks publication. Data collected from the most recently approved information collection did not allow for results to be published since they did not meet NASS confidentiality and quality standards and it is unlikely that future surveys will allow publishable results. Vegetable foot data will be discontinued as part of this information collection request.
(2) NASS currently collects “Sorghum used to produce alcohol” data in the monthly Dry Mill Producers survey and publishes results that meet NASS confidentiality and quality standards in the Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production publication. NASS consulted with the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) and it was decided that EIA will be considered the sole source of data for Sorghum consumed for alcohol.
CAIR Program:
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Current_Agricultural_Industrial_Reports/index.php
NASS submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202304-0535-002 Click on IC List for questionnaire, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-10877
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806