USDA Restores Apple Report

USDA Restores Apple Estimate. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

At the urging of the U.S. Apple Association, the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has reinstated its August estimate of the U.S. apple crop. Nancy Foster, USApple President explains.

FOSTER: Last fall USDA decided to cancel it’s production of the annual August Apple Crop Estimate Report. We learned of this and we analyzed how the report is used, how important it is to our industry, we talked to our members around the country and it became very clear, very fast that this report was essential for the marketing of our industry and really you can tie it right back to the ability to make informed decisions and develop short term and long term plans for marketing as well as individual businesses.

And why would the government get rid of such an important report?

FOSTER: When we talked directly to the director of the report he told us that it was because they had to make budget cuts and they went ahead and decided to eliminate this report as a way to reduce government spending.

Hmmm. I appreciate cutting excess government spending, but...

FOSTER: We felt very strongly that it should be reinstated. That this is an appropriate role of USDA to be gathering this data. It’s done very thoroughly and it’s done with high credibility.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.