USDA Turns to AI to Help Validate Crop Report Data

(NAFB.com) USDA is using an artificial intelligence tool to check data in today’s monthly crop production report, following errors that raised questions about government crop estimates. Undersecretary Scott Hutchins says the tool would have caught a problem in September’s corn data. A computer file incorrectly combined irrigated and non-irrigated acreage information, although USDA says the original survey data were accurate. The AI system will serve as an additional validation step, not replace existing statistical procedures. The move comes as farmer confidence in USDA reports remains low. An Ag View Solutions survey of nearly 1,200 farmers and farm managers found almost three-quarters had little or no confidence in the agency’s crop data. The survey included responses from 38 states. USDA’s use of AI will be an early test of its effort to restore confidence in crop reports that can move markets.