during the year covering considerable detail and breakdown. For example, cattle and calves have been counted as one item or commodity. The reports issued on cattle and calves cover (a) January 1 inventories where numbers are broken down into eight classes such as cows for milk, cows for beef, heifers for milk, heifers for beef, etc., (b) the calf crop, (c) cattle and calves on feed, (d) cattle slaughtered, (e) calves slaughtered, and (f) shipments of stocker and feeder cattle into selected States and from federally inspected public stockyards. Similarly, wheat is listed once, but separate estimates are made for winter wheat, Durum wheat, and other spring wheat. If these various items for which separate estimates are made were counted individually the count would run well over 250. In addition, the monthly price report covers prices received by farmers for most important commodities sold and prices paid for numerous items bought for use in the farm household or in farm production. Numbers of persons working on farms and wage rates paid farmworkers are in a separate report. Thus, it is difficult to summarize in a short statement the broad cover. age of the reports issued by the Statistical Reporting Service.

Mr. WHITTEN. With regard to those commodities, how often do you issue an estimate, and what are the conditions in connection with it? Tell us briefly how broad your work is for the commodities.

Dr. TRELOGAN. We endeavor to cover all of the crop and livestock items that are of significant commercial importance. This involves a problem of tailoring the reporting service for each particular commodity to the geographic area, and to the seasonal requirements; that

during the year covering considerable detail and breakdown. For example, cattle and calves have been counted as one item or commodity. The reports issued on cattle and calves cover (a) January 1 inventories where numbers are broken down into eight classes such as cows for milk, cows for beef, heifers for milk, heifers for beef, etc., (b) the calf crop, (c) cattle and calves on feed, (d) cattle slaughtered, (e) calves slaughtered, and (f) shipments of stocker and feeder cattle into selected States and from federally inspected public stockyards. Similarly, wheat is listed once, but separate estimates are made for winter wheat, Durum wheat, and other spring wheat. If these various items for which separate estimates are made were counted individually the count would run well over 250. In addition, the monthly price report covers prices received by farmers for most important commodities sold and prices paid for numerous items bought for use in the farm household or in farm production. Numbers of persons working on farms and wage rates paid farmworkers are in a separate report. Thus, it is difficult to summarize in a short statement the broad cover. age of the reports issued by the Statistical Reporting Service.

Mr. WHITTEN. With regard to those commodities, how often do you issue an estimate, and what are the conditions in connection with it? Tell us briefly how broad your work is for the commodities.

Dr. TRELOGAN. We endeavor to cover all of the crop and livestock items that are of significant commercial importance. This involves a problem of tailoring the reporting service for each particular commodity to the geographic area, and to the seasonal requirements; that

is the rapidity and frequency of reports that fit the needs of the agricultural business community.

Cotton, for example, is reported only from the cotton producing States. Similarly each fruit and vegetable area will be defined according to the volume of production, and our reports are confined to the important States.

In a comparable way the quarterly pig crop report introduced this year has been initiated in the 10 most important States with the funds available. But under no circumstances would we recommend going beyond about 18 States at this time, because they would be sufficient to cover about 90 percent of the crop in the United States.

The next dimension to consider is what periods or times of the year it is appropriate to make the reports. Production forecasts, particularly for crops, are issued only during the growing season; it isn't practical to issue reports during the season when there is no growth or production. In the livestock items there are some seasonal variations, but for most livestock products we need to report production throughout the year. Milk, meat, eggs, poultry, and things of that sort, are produced continuously through the entire year.

Then we have a decision with respect to how frequently to report. Weekly Monthly? Qaurterly? Semiannually, or annually? The less important crops, we report less frequently. Also we report less frequently in the less important areas or States. For example, cattle on feed reports, for some major States, are issued as monthly reports. For the next important group of States they are issued as quarterly reports. For another group of States, only annual reports are prepared, and for some States we have no reports for cattle on feed.

So a combination of different frequencies is adapted to crop and livestock items, depending on the commercial importance of the industry being reported in the participating areas.

(A more detailed presentation of the frequency of crop and livestock reports for the record follows:)

1963 CROP AND LIVESTOCK REPORTS

Content and dates of release

The following schedule of release dates for the various crop and livestock reports to be issued by the Crop Reporting Board during 1963 is announced by the Department of Agriculture. (Unless otherwise specified, the reports are issued from Washington, D.C.) The time of release when specified is that in effect for Government offices in Washington (eastern standard time except when daylight saving time is in effect).

REPORTS ON COTTON

(Released at 11 a.m.)

Cotton production

May 8: Acreage, yield per acre, production of cotton lint and seed; value of production of lint, disposition and value of cottonseed, monthly marketings of lint by farmers.

July 8: Planted acreage.

August 8: Indicated yield per acre and production as of the first of the month, and acreage for harvest.

September 9; October 8; and November 8: Indicated yield per acre and production as of the first of the month.

December 9: Yield per acre as of December 1, probable production, acreage for harvest, planted acreage, production of cottonseed.