Ag census responses needed

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service mailed questionnaires for the 2017 Census of Agriculture to farm and ranch operators in December 2017 to collect data for the 2017 calendar year. The census is conducted once every five years, and aims to get a complete and accurate picture of American agriculture. The resulting data are used by farmers, ranchers, trade associations, researchers, policymakers, and many others to help make decisions in community planning, farm assistance programs, technology development, farm advocacy, agribusiness setup, rural development, and more. The Census of Agriculture is USDA’s largest data collection endeavor, providing some of the most widely used statistics in the industry. Responding to the Census of Agriculture is required by law under Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113. The same law requires the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to keep all information confidential, to use the data only for statistical purposes, and only publish in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation. Producers can respond to the census by mail or online at www.agcensus.usda.gov. The online questionnaire includes timesaving features such as automatic calculations and is accessible on mobile and desktop devices. The census response deadline is Feb. 5, 2018. NASS will release the results of the census in February 2019.