AMBA submits comments on importance of federal data collection
The American Malting Barley Association (AMBA), a nonprofit trade association with the goal of ensuring an adequate supply of high quality malting barley for the malting, brewing, distilling, and food industries, recently responded to a Request for Information (RFI) regarding federal data collection. Public comment was solicited through the Request for Information on Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Areas in Statistical Data, Analysis, and Research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; which was published in the February 23, 2026 Federal Register, Docket No. ERS-2026-0001. AMBA’s comments stressed the importance of USDA’s unbiased data on barley acreage, production, stocks, and varieties, which is essential for both growers and end users across the supply chain. Farmers use this information to guide their planting decisions, government agencies rely on it for policy modeling, and industry stakeholders like millers, maltsters, distillers, brewers, and exporters depend on it for procurement and investment planning. These reports support informed decisions that maintain barley’s role in the U.S. economy. Of note, no other nationwide effort to aggregate this data on the barley industry exists. The barley trade association’s comments also strongly encourage a continuation of the every 5 year Census of Agriculture and weekly crop condition reporting. Furthermore, additional data collection on production practices, like fertilizer and chemical use, would be very helpful in refining cost of production data. In order to track the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, additional data collection is necessary, and at a frequency that is responsive to the Administration's priorities. Finally, AMBA encourages agencies within the USDA to organize virtual stakeholder meetings or forums to gather input on data collection and distribution at a cadence that allows for timely and responsive information from data use stakeholders.
