United States Department of Agriculture

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2012 – In order to streamline operations and to improve statistical services, USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has enhanced its Quick Stats 2.0 data query tool and is retiring the Quick Stats 1.0 service on Oct. 30, 2012. All data previously published in that database are now available from the Quick Stats 2.0 database.

"Our agency continuously works with our data users to provide them with the best possible service," said Hubert Hamer, Chairperson of NASS's Agricultural Statistics Board. "Discontinuing the previous version of Quick Stats will allow NASS to focus on honing the Quick Stats 2.0 and Quick Stats Lite tools, ensuring easy-to-use online access of agricultural statistics data."

NASS originally communicated its intention to remove the Quick Stats 1.0 tool in June. In its notice NASS encouraged feedback from data users about the upcoming service changes. The goal of the advance notice was to allow all those seeking statistical information about U.S. agriculture to switch to the newest available tools, minimizing the impact of the Quick Stats 1.0 retirement.

To make the transition as seamless as possible, in January NASS introduced its new Quick Stats Lite tool. This new tool is an additional interface to Quick Stats 2.0 that offers a more guided approach to our most common data requests. Users looking for more detail as well as additional data output options should use the Quick Stats 2.0 tool, which is our most comprehensive online data source. These tools will allow NASS to publish all of its available data online, ensuring quick and easy access for the public.

Quick Stats 2.0 and Quick Stats Lite are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats. For assistance with these tools, please contact a NASS representative by calling (800) 727-9540 or by emailing nass@nass.usda.gov.