WASHINGTON – Budget cuts have forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture to suspend the publication of 10 statistical reports or series, including a semiannual cattle inventory and monthly milk production data, for the rest of the fiscal year.
The mid-year cattle report was arguably the most prominent report to get the axe, and reaction from livestock traders and groups ranged from concern to indifference.
Others, from milk producers to craft beer brewers, expressed worry about losing key information that is often used to guide business decisions, to help make a case for bank loans and for a variety of other purposes.
Some $1.9 billion in USDA funding was eliminated by the automatic cuts, known as sequestration, which took effect on March 1.
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