2017 Census of Agriculture underway - Entrepreneur Generations

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service began mailing the 2017 Census of Agriculture to the nation's producers this week," Morning Ag Clips reports. Farms of all sizes that produced and sold (or normally would have sold) $1,000 or more of agricultural product in 2017 are included. It's the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial ag data collected for every state and county in the U.S.

The Ag Census is conducted once every five years, and helps stakeholders like farmers, trade associations, researchers, lawmakers, and others to get a more complete and accurate picture of American agriculture. The data, collected since 1840, is used in community planning, farm assistance programs, tech development, advocacy, agribusiness setup, rural development and more.

"The Census gives every producer the opportunity to be represented, so that informed decisions can support their efforts to provide the world with food, fuel, feed, and fiber. Every response matters," said Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue.

The Ag Census will be mailed out over the next several weeks of December, and farmers can respond online or by mail. The online questionnaire has some updated features to help make responding easier, such as automatic calculators and mobile phone accessibility. Other changes include "a new question about military veteran status, expanded questions about food marketing practices, and questions about on-farm decision-making to help better capture the roles and contributions of beginning farmers, women farmers, and others involved in running a farm enterprise," Morning Ag Clips reports.

The response deadline is Feb. 5, 2018. NASS will release the results of the census in February 2019.

from The Rural Blog http://ift.tt/2i5DBkq 2017 Census of Agriculture underway - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet