Try these tips:

• Check your spelling.  One letter or number can make all the difference.
• Try searching the "Entire Site" by selecting that option from the drop-down menu on the main search page.
• Try adding boolean operators (AND, OR, NEAR, etc.) to your search.  To learn about boolean operators valid in this search engine, read this page.

Looking for Market News Reports?

If you know the name of the report that you want to find:

• Try adding or removing the underscore in the name of the report.  For instance, if you were searching for RA_GR110, try searching for RA GR110 (no underscore).  Conversely, if you were searching for RA GR110, try RA_GR110 instead.
• Try searching by file name using the following syntax:
  #filename <report_name.txt>
  i.e.
  #filename RA_GR110.TXT
  It's important to note a few things about this type of search:
  1. The pound symbol (#) is not followed by a space.  If this space is present, this search will not work.
  2. You should actually type the word "filename" into your search, without the quotation marks. 
  3. filename is one word, not two.
  4. Wildcards may be used.  For instance, to find all reports that begin with RA_GR, you would submit the following:
     # filename RA_GR*
  5. Do not use *.* as a wildcard.  Doing this will result in an error.  For instance, searching for RA_GR*.* will return an error. 

If you don't know the name of the report:

• Try alternate search terms.  For instance, rather than searching for "cows," try "livestock."  Rather than "wheat," try "grain."  Rather than "milk," try "dairy."  Rather than "pig," try "pork."
• For reports from a specific area, try entering the state abbreviation.  For instance, WV for West Virginia, KY for Kentucky, or TX for Texas. 
• If the previous search is ineffective, try the state name.  Some reports from states with shorter names (like Iowa) have the entire state name listed rather than the abbreviation. 
• For a listing of available Market News Reports, by program, visit:
  Cotton:                         http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/cotton.txt
  Dairy:                           http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/dairy.txt
  Fruit and Vegetable:     http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/fruitveg.txt
  Livestock and Grain:    http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubs/allrep.htm
  Poultry:                         http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/poultry.txt
  Tobacco:                      http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/tobacco.txt

Additional notes on Market News Reports:

• The most current report can always be found in the mnreports directory:   http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports (e.g. nw_ls500.txt)
• Previous reports going back to June 14, 1999 can be found in the archive directory, under subsequent days by using a Year, Month, and Day format in the URL:
• http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnarchive/1999/jun/06-14-1999/nw_ls500.txt, Please note that's nw_ls500.txt.
• http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnarchive/2000/feb/02-02-2000/ca_fv001.txt, Please note that's ca_fv001.txt.

• None of these directories are browsable.  If you go to http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports and hit <ENTER>, you will receive an "Access Forbidden" error.  This will also happen if you attempt to directly access the /1999/jun/06-14-1999/, /2000/feb/02-02-2000/, /2000/jan/01-11-2000/, etc. directories.   These directories may ONLY be directly accessed if you already know the name of the report that you want to see, and you type it in to the address line of your browser.  For instance, typing in   http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnarchive/2000/feb/02-02-2000/ will return an error, but typing in http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnarchive/2000/feb/02-02-2000/nw_ls500.txt will return a market news report.  If you do not know the exact name of a report which you wish to see, the only way to access it is via the search page.
• If you believe you will be using a market news report on a regular basis, try bookmarking it in your browser to save time in the future. 
  • If you will always want the most current information, make sure that you bookmark the report in the /mnreports/ directory, as reports in this directory will always contain the most current available information. 
  • If you will usually want information from one month ago, bookmark the report in /2000/jan/01-02-2000/ or whatever the appropriate date is.  You could then change the Month and Day as needed.
  • If you will most often use reports from one week ago, bookmark the report in /2000/jan/01-26-2000/ or whatever the appropriate date is.   You could then change the Month and Day as needed.
  • And so on.  Remember to take into account holidays and weekends. 
• Wondering how often your report is released?  Want to know when it is posted to the web?  Wondering what other reports exist for your area of interest? 

Still stuck?

If you are still unable to locate the information you desire, or if you are having problems not addressed on this page, contact us at AMSWebmaster@usda.gov.   In the email, please include as much detail as possible about the information for which you are searching.

Last Revised on Wednesday, February 7, 2001