USDA Moves Archive Platform, Ends Decades-Long Cornell Partnership
The USDA has relocated its archive of agricultural reports from Cornell University's Mann Library to its own National Agricultural Library, ending a partnership that began in the 1990s and signaling a major shift in data management for the ag sector.
In a pivotal change for U.S. agriculture professionals, the USDA has officially shut down its long-running data archive hosted by Cornell University's Mann Library. As of October 1, all archived reports - including crop progress, grain stocks, and livestock statistics dating back to 1973 - are now housed under the USDA's National Agricultural Library. The transfer marks the end of a decades-long collaboration and aims to modernize how critical market data is stored and accessed.
The transition comes on the heels of the USDA's release of two key reports - Quarterly Grain Stocks and the Small Grains Summary - which, until now, had linked to the legacy Cornell site. Now these and many other market-sensitive reports like the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) are hosted directly on the USDA's updated platform.
A USDA spokesperson did not clarify whether the new site would remain operational in the event of a government shutdown, which loomed as the migration was finalized. Still, other USDA sub-agencies such as the Economic Research Service and Agricultural Marketing Service are continuing to publish reports on their individual portals.
Cornell has confirmed that, effective October 1, the Mann Library will no longer provide USDA report access. The agency had announced plans for this shift back in April, citing an overarching effort to "modernize its processes," although details remained scarce until now.
While the move is designed to centralize and streamline agricultural data management, it also introduces uncertainty. Users familiar with the Cornell archive may face short-term disruption, and any federal shutdown could impact access to vital ag data during a critical point in the marketing year.
The USDA's decision reflects broader government efforts to consolidate information systems, reduce dependencies on third-party institutions, and improve digital infrastructure. For the U.S. ag community - from co-ops and traders to agronomists and policymakers - this is more than a website change. It's a structural shift in how agricultural intelligence is delivered.
