American farmers are ignoring US Department of Agriculture surveys in the latest sign of distrust in government data.
Reply rates for the USDA’s annual prospective planting report sank in March to a record low, with just over a third of 73,800 farm operations surveyed answering questions on the acres they will plant this spring of everything from corn and soybeans to tobacco and chickpeas. That compares with about 60% of farmers responding in 2018, with replies declining in each year since, according to government records.
Farmers say they are wary of sharing data to inform reports they feel often work ...