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Data Collection: Opportunities to Improve USDA's Farm Costs and Returns Survey

RCED-92-175 Published: Jul 30, 1992. Publicly Released: Aug 11, 1992.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Costs and Returns Survey (FCRS), focusing on: (1) FCRS scope and design, as they affect the quality and reliability of the data generated; (2) USDA procedures for granting access to unpublished data; and (3) USDA communication with users of FCRS data.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture So USDA can improve the overall quality and reliability of FCRS and the estimates it generates, the Secretary of Agriculture should adopt a method of calculating response rates that excludes those individuals who do not qualify as farm operators.
Closed – Implemented
USDA will calculate and publish a response rate that excludes individuals who do not qualify as farmers starting with publication of the 1993 report in September 1993.
Department of Agriculture So USDA can improve the overall quality and reliability of FCRS and the estimates it generates, the Secretary of Agriculture should minimize potential bias in the estimates by determining if nonrespondents to FCRS are significantly different from respondents.
Closed – Implemented
USDA has adopted nonresponse adjustment procedures, restratified the sample, and developed a shorter version of the questionnaire to improve response rates. These actions should reduce potential bias in the estimates.
Department of Agriculture So USDA can improve the overall quality and reliability of FCRS and the estimates it generates, the Secretary of Agriculture should evaluate the level of data editing/imputation that occurs in the survey.
Closed – Implemented
Beginning with the 1993 survey report, NASS will publish more detail on the procedures used to edit or impute missing data and explain the effects of editing and imputation on survey data. ERS will make its procedures and measurements of imputation more readily available in all 1993 releases that are based on FCRS data.
Department of Agriculture So USDA can improve the overall quality and reliability of FCRS and the estimates it generates, the Secretary of Agriculture should change the definition of a farm to eliminate from FCRS those small farms that have little impact on the overall financial conditions of U.S. farms or develop less costly methods for obtaining data on small farms less frequently, such as using a shortened mailed version of FCRS or a telephone survey once every 5 years.
Closed – Not Implemented
USDA stated it cannot change the definition of a farm because the Secretary of Commerce sets the definition. USDA further stated that information on small farms is required for farm income and costs of production estimates. USDA restratified its sampling procedures to more efficiently sample smaller and middle-size farms and is testing a shorter questionnaire to reduce costs.
Department of Agriculture To better inform all users of FCRS about the data's integrity, the Secretary of Agriculture should, after taking the steps GAO recommended for improvements, publish information on the methodology USDA used to calculate response rates, the level of data editing/imputation that exists, and the similarity between respondents and nonrespondents, together with information on any bias in FCRS estimates.
Closed – Implemented
Beginning with the 1993 survey report and all future releases, USDA: (1) will publish a response rate that excludes those who do not qualify as farmers; (2) will publish more detail on the procedures used to edit or impute missing data and explain the effects of editing and imputation on survey data; and (3) has taken steps to reduce the number of nonrespondents and to reduce the bias in the survey data caused by nonrespondents.
Department of Agriculture To close the communication gap that currently exists between USDA and non-USDA users of FCRS data, the Secretary of Agriculture should establish with data users additional lines of communication devoted specifically to discussing concerns about FCRS.
Closed – Implemented
USDA plans to work more closely with data users by alerting invitees when economic statistics are the focus of data user meetings and by presenting FCRS information at several economics groups' meetings in 1993 and 1994.
Department of Agriculture To reduce the concerns that currently exist regarding the granting of and limitations on access to unpublished FCRS data, the Secretary of Agriculture should establish written criteria that clearly state how decisions for granting or denying access to data on specific commodities are made.
Closed – Implemented
USDA plans to develop written criteria on how decisions will be made for granting or denying access to specific commodity data. Data related to the structure and operation of the farm business will be made available independently from data on enterprise costs and returns.
Department of Agriculture To reduce the concerns that currently exist regarding the granting of and limitations on access to unpublished FCRS data, the Secretary of Agriculture should work with non-USDA researchers to lessen the burden of using the data. In doing so, the Secretary may wish to conduct a pilot program that provides access to unpublished FCRS data at a location outside Washington, D.C., while still maintaining the same rules regarding confidentially that apply to accessing FCRS data at Economic Research Service headquarters.
Closed – Implemented
USDA plans to make FCRS survey data available at two regional sites on a pilot basis in 1993. After the pilot project, USDA will consider expanding the number of sites on the basis of data use and program resources.

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Agency reportsAgricultural researchData collectionData integrityEconomic researchGovernment information disseminationStatistical dataSurveysAgricultural commoditiesFarming