Due to budgetary constraints, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) isproposing to reduce their county estimates program, with several crops no longer being collected or published at the county level. Kansas crops likely impacted are Alfalfa, Other Hay, and sunflowers as well as all irrigated/non-irrigated practices for other commodities. More could be impacted in 2020 if the budget requires it.

Historically, the data collection costs for these surveys have been partially funded through a cooperative agreement between NASS and the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA). Due to program changes, RMA withdrew from this cooperative agreement this year.

The notice was published November 15 and comments MUST be filed within 30 days, or by December 15, 2019. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-11-15/pdf/2019-24789.pdf

You can also comment via the National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance (NAFA) at https://www.alfalfa.org/letters/USDA_NASS.php