Understanding Missing National Agriculutral Statistics Survey Yields

This thesis consists of two chapters that explore factors that impact a corn and soybean yield is not reported by United States Department of Agricultural National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). These yields are important to several stakeholders for decision making and government program payments. The objective of the first chapter is to determine factors that impact the likelihood of a NASS corn or soybean yield are reported at the county-level. Factors such as county land coverage as well as average farm size are observed. The second chapter specifically compares NASS yields to alternative yield data across Tennessee. A spatial analysis is conducted to determine hot spots of yields values. The results from chapter two may be used to substitute missing NASS yields by alternative yields.