CHICAGO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - When the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a slew of key farm reports would not be released on Friday due to the partial government shutdown, the phones at crop forecaster Gro Intelligence blew up.
To fill the void on data, traders and farmers are relying on private crop forecasters, satellite imagery firms, and brokerages offering analyses on trade and supplies. Some have been scouring Twitter for tidbits on shifting weather patterns and rumors of grain exports, but say it is difficult to replace the USDA.
Data firm Mercaris has gained new subscribers, too, as it has become the only source for organic commodity prices since the halt in USDA reports, sales director Alex Heilman said. The Maryland-based company is making an additional pricing report available to users for free until the federal agency reopens.
Private companies such as Descartes Labs can still access the open-sourced data and analyze it. The Santa Fe, New Mexico-based company is among the crop forecasters that releases its own production estimates based on its research and analyses of government-collected data.