Rewriting U.S. Edible Bean History

VANCOUVER - Dec 13/07 - SNS -- Dry edible bean production in the United States has been smaller than thought in recent years, judging from grower level data compiled by the USDA's Farm Service Agency, which administers farm support programs in that country.

Total dry edible bean production in the United States is closer to 1.04 million metric tons (MT) than the 1.144 million reported in the USDA's latest crop production estimates; while seeded area is closer to 1.384 million acres, than the 1.526 million reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). These revised estimates are based on NASS yield data and FSA seeded area data.

In all states except California, any grower who wants to obtain farm support payments for any program or federally insured crop must declare whether and what crops were sown to each individual acre of land under their control each year. Farmers also report acreage they were unable to seed as intended and acreage on which crops failed. Because the information is used as the basis for a variety program payments, lying about what was planted constitutes fraud and incurs severe penalties. This has been more true since the current incarnation of the U.S. Farm Bill came into effect in 2002 than previously.

Growers believe current civil and future political penalties for lying to the FSA are too severe to misrepresent what was sown on each field on their farm. This stands in stark contrast to the attitude some have about data given to the NASS. Penalties are seen as administrative. Consequently, they do not seem as concerned about lying.

It needs to be stressed each agency performs a different function and collects different data from farmers. This reflects the fact that agencies have very different missions within the USDA. The NASS predicts the future, whereas the FSA administers the present. However, despite the high degree of specificity in FSA data, it does not appear to be used by the NASS to "correct" historical information and refine the foundation for future predictions.

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