USDA to test satellites, AI to try to improve crop estimates amid farmer criticism

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to launch a pilot project in Boone, Iowa, employing advanced technology to enhance its crop acreage and yield estimates, according to Secretary Brooke Rollins. This initiative, part of a broader data modernization plan, aims to leverage satellite imagery, geospatial tools, crop models, and artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of government agricultural data, amid farmer and trader criticism over the reliability of these figures.

The project will also involve farmer polls and aim to minimize the number of data requests from farmers while enhancing the timeliness and precision of USDA's statistics. Rollins emphasized the importance of rebuilding trust in USDA's data, acknowledging the significant role these reports play in commodity markets, crop farmer incomes, and federal farm programs.