Oct 1, 2019

USDA NASS tabulates data by race, ethnicity and gender

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Oct. 1 released 2017 Census of Agriculture data tabulated by race, ethnicity, and gender.

The national, state and county-level data on the NASS website highlights the number of farms, land in farms, land use, value of sales, and producer characteristics, such as years of experience, average age and more.

Redesigned, the reports contain more information than in previous years, NASS said. They contain insights on women; Hispanic, Latino or Spanish; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; and white producers. Data are available for geographies with 30 farms or more operated by a specified group.

For instance, reviewers can find that Washington farms have 1,202 American Indian or Native Alaskan producers and that those farms generated more than $27 million in fruits, tree nuts and berries.

They can also discover that California state has 46,235 female producers, more than 14,000 of whom are beginning or new producers, and that California farms with female producers in 2017 had 402,809 acres cultivated for vegetables.

“The Census of Agriculture is the only time NASS produces detailed demographic information,” NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer said in a press release. “These important data show the diversity that exists within U.S. agriculture and the significant contributions made by all groups. Data such as these are often vital to community-based organizations, policy and other decision-makers to ensure that all producers are represented when important decisions are made about agricultural programs and grant funding – to name just a few.”

NASS also recently released 2017 Ag Census Web Maps. The interactive maps, according to a press release, show key Census data in five broad categories down to the county-level: crops and plants, economics, farms, livestock and animals, and producers. The maps give spatial overviews of various aspects of U.S. agriculture, showing the relationships and patterns across regions and topics. Census data summaries are also available at the congressional district, watershed, zip code, and American Indian reservation levels.

Additional products to expect this fall include a 2017 Census of Agriculture specialty crop publication,