Feb 10, 2012

USDA to conduct 2012 ag census

Surveys are now arriving in mailboxes around the nation to help identify all active farms in the United States.

The National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS), which asks landowners whether or not they are farming and for basic farm information, is key to determining who should receive a 2012 Census of Agriculture report form.

Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them.

“We are asking everyone who receives the NACS to respond even if they are not farming, so that we build the most accurate and comprehensive mailing list to account for all of U.S. agriculture in the census,” said NASS Census and Survey Director Renee Picanso. “The Census is the leading source of facts about American agriculture and the only source of agricultural statistics that is comparable for each county in the nation.”

NACS is required by law as part of the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Also by law, any information reported remains confidential.

NASS will mail the 2012 Census of Agriculture later this year and data will be collected into early 2013.

“The NACS survey is the first step in getting a complete count, so we ask everyone who receives a survey to complete and return it,” said Picanso. “The Census is a valuable way for producers and rural America to show their strength – in numbers.”

For more information about NACS, the Census of Agriculture, or to add your name to the census mailing list, visit the census website.