05/06/08 Court orders FSA to release farm data

Farm and Ranch May 6, 2008 The USDA's Farm Service Agency last week began releasing sets of complex and statistically detailed databases from its files about farming operations throughout the United States. The release is the result of a federal court order in a Freedom of Information Act Request. Glen Keppy, Associate Administrator of the FSA, says that while individual producers are not directly identified, the data release includes Farm Compliance Records. Keppy: "Planting dates; reported acreage; official acreage measurements, insurance coverage; type of crop; whether or not the crop is irrigated; intended use of crop, whether he has had any prevented planting or failed acreages, is the information included in there.' Keppy says Farm Field Common Land Unit information was also released. Keppy: "This file gives the exact location of farmers using global positioning technology; it shows farm field boundaries; farm numbers; tract numbers, acres and Conservation Reserve Program land." Keppy says when you combine this release with other forced data releases, like the payment information given to the Environmental Working Group, you can start putting some scenarios together about rural America. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson says he doesn't like the ruling requiring the data disclosure, but his committee does not have jurisdiction over the legal issues involved. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.