County Estimation of Crop Acreage Using Satellite Data

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published county estimates of crop acreage, crop production, crop yield and livestock inventories since 1917. These estimates assist the agricultural community in local agricultural decision making. Also the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) of the USDA use NASS county crop yield estimates to administer their programs involving payments to farmers if crop yields are below certain levels. The primary source of data for these estimates has always been a large non-probability survey of U.S. farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses who voluntarily provide information on a confidential basis (see Chapter 7). In addition, the U.S. Census of Agriculture, conducted by the Bureau of the Census every five years, serves as a valuable benchmark for the NASS county estimates.