The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled a Data Modernization Plan to improve the timeliness, accuracy and usefulness of agricultural statistics used by producers, markets and government programs. Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the plan at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, following a February 2026 request for information and listening sessions held at state fairs and farm shows throughout August. The plan has four pillars: modernizing data reporting, improving acreage and yield estimates, integrating data and technology platforms, and expanding trust and transparency with producers. USDA will increase its use of administrative data, improve mobile survey access, test satellite imagery and geospatial tools alongside crop models and producer information, modernize secure data-sharing systems, and assess the responsible use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The department also aims to reduce duplicative requests, protect producer privacy and explain its methodologies, response rates and data limitations. The effort follows criticism of USDA statistics after staffing cuts and large revisions to 2025 U.S. corn acreage estimates, which were followed by a more than 5% decline in grain prices after January's final estimates.