Issued June 19, 2008 by the Agricultural Statistics Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. For more information contact Jeff Geuder at (202) 720-2127.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is taking several steps to strengthen data on 2008 crop acreage, yield and production in response to the extraordinary rainfall in the Midwest.

NASS will release the 2008 Acreage report as scheduled on June 30 at 8:30 a.m. EDT. However, NASS collected most of the acreage data during the first two weeks of June, before the majority of the flooding occurred. In the Acreage report, NASS will use standard procedures to estimate planted area. But in an effort to more accurately determine how much of the planted area will actually be harvested for grain, NASS will re-interview producers during the week of June 23 in affected areas of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. This will provide additional information about producers’ harvesting intentions for corn, soybeans and sorghum.

Since some producers may be difficult to contact or may still be assessing their options, NASS also plans to conduct a more extensive update of planted and harvested acreage in July. This information will be reflected in the August 12 Crop Production report.