USDA deploys AI for crop reports after corn errors
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rolling out an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to boost the accuracy of its crop production reports, after mistakes popped up in last September's corn data.
The new tech will debut in the November 10 report, with officials hoping it helps rebuild trust in their forecasts.
As Under Secretary Scott Hutchins put it, they want people to feel confident about what's on the page.
Nebraska, Kansas corn acreage merge error
Turns out, the earlier errors came from a messy data merge for irrigated and non-irrigated corn acres in Nebraska and Kansas, something that left farmers frustrated and doubting the numbers.
Lance Honig, chair of the agricultural statistics board for USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, admitted these glitches were a headache, but said, "This error that occurred in September is literally a very isolated occurrence that, quite frankly, with the proper validation, we should have caught."
This move is part of a USDA pilot project to rely more heavily on technology to improve crop acreage and yield estimates.