Crop reports issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nat­ional Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) have never been more important to farmers in Iowa and around the country.

The reports, based partly on surveys of farmers, have long been the leading source of unbiased information on crops, livestock and farm finances. They are considered the "gold standard" of agricultural statistics and are relied on by farmers, commodity processors, traders and others to gauge acreage, yields and a wide range of other statistics vital to agriculture.

In recent years, reports have become even more important to farmers. That’s because county crop yield estimates, generated each year by NASS, are a key factor in determining whether farmers receive payments...