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In the dynamic global marketplace, modern agricultural decision-makers rely on accurate, up-to-date local, regional, and global data and statistics. In the U.S., this information is provided by various public and private entities including government agencies, industry organizations, and agricultural news services. This data is an extremely valuable asset to the agricultural community, and represents a tremendous investment of resources. However, difficulty locating and interpreting the data may significantly compromise its utility for the end-user.

The Florida citrus industry serves as a case study for the data utilization problem confronting modern agriculture. Over 50 publications produced by 13 agencies have been identified as official sources of data for Florida citrus. Most of this information is public, and much of it is available on-line. The array of information reported in these various sources has been organized and catalogued in table format as a first step toward improving access to the data. In that process, a pressing need for IT support has been identified for Florida citrus and for agriculture in general.