The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is canceling several livestock and crop reports, citing budget constraints.

The July cattle inventory report will not be published, and USDA is discontinuing the cotton objective yield survey, as well as all county estimates for crops and livestock beginning with the 2024 production year.

The cattle report provides mid-year estimates of the U.S. cattle inventory. It breaks down beef and dairy numbers, as well as replacement heifers and calves that will determine future supplies.

The surveys have been a routine part of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) responsibilities for years.

“The decision to discontinue these surveys and reports was not made lightly but was necessary, given appropriated budget levels,” USDA NASS said in a statement.

The loss of county-level data and cattle inventory numbers will impact business decisions.

“These reports provide critical data for farmers and ranchers,” said Brant Wilbourn, Texas Farm Bureau associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Affairs. “We believe that USDA should reverse their decision and continue delivering the reports to meet the agency’s mission of providing timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.”

NASS produces more than 400 reports annually in addition to the Census of Agriculture, which is published every five years.

Information about all NASS surveys and reports is available online at nass.usda.gov.