NASS Conducts Review of Dairy Product Price Data

After confirming that one dairy product plant made errors in its weekly reporting of price data for nonfat dry milk for the weeks ending March 17, 24, and 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will ask 39 plants to review and, if necessary, revise weekly price data and sales volumes reported over the past 52 weeks. Within the next 45 days, NASS will contact all 39 participating dairy product plants that have reported nonfat dry milk sales during the past year to review reporting criteria and request that they verify and, if necessary, revise their nonfat dry milk data reported over the past year. NASS then will issue revisions to previously published prices and volumes for nonfat dry milk.

"Because this NASS survey data is used to set milk prices, we have supported mandatory reporting and auditing of the data to insure the data collected is correct before being used for price announcements," said IDFA President and CEO Connie Tipton. "Producers and processors worked together to pass legislation in November 2000 requiring reporting by all plants and to allow auditing of reported data, but this has not been implemented. We urge USDA to make sure these changes are made quickly and to implement a more streamlined electronic reporting system so that data is also more timely." To read USDA's press release, click here.

Posted April 23, 2007