The Renewable Fuels Association provided comments this week to a USDA request for information on opportunities, challenges, and emerging areas in statistical data, analysis, and research, endorsing the agency’s data, analysis and research as the “gold standard” among international statistical agencies for agriculture.
“USDA data are critical to the efficient functioning of U.S. and global commodities markets, and the department plays a vital role in ensuring that objective, fact-based information is available to policymakers,” wrote RFA Chief Economist Scott Richman. “Budget and staffing levels should be maintained at a level sufficient to ensure that USDA is able to continue providing key statistical data and information needed by market participants and policymakers, even if other USDA priorities are re-examined. At the same time, areas of coverage should evolve over time, and process improvements should be made periodically for data collection and dissemination.”
Richman also noted that USDA data and reports are used by the Environmental Protection Agency in its process for establishing the volume obligations for the Renewable Fuel Standard and he provided specific feedback to USDA on potential improvements, particularly regarding how data can be accessed online.