May 27, 2021

USDA to survey growers in Pacific Northwest

During the next several weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National  Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey.

The agency will contact nearly 4,500 producers across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to determine crop acreage and stock levels as of June 1, 2021.

“The June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey are two of the most important and well-known surveys NASS conducts,” said Christopher Mertz, director of the NASS Northwest Region Office. “When growers respond to these surveys, they provide essential information that help determine the expected acreage and supply of major commodities in the U.S. for the 2021 crop year. The results are used by farmers and ranchers, USDA, businesses, exporters, researchers, economists, policymakers and others to inform a wide range of decisions.”

Growers can respond to the June Agricultural Survey online at agcounts.usda.gov, by phone or mail. They will be asked to provide information on planted and harvested acreage, including acreage for biotech crops and grain stocks. For the June Area Survey, agency representatives will interview farm and ranch operators in randomly selected segments over the phone. Growers will be asked to provide information on crop acreage, grain stocks, livestock inventory, land values and value of sales.

“NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents, by keeping all individual information  confidential and publishing the data in aggregate form only to ensure that no operation or producer can be identified,” said Mertz. “We recognize that this is a hectic time for farmers, but the information they provide helps U.S. agriculture remain viable and capable. I urge them to respond to these surveys and thank them for their cooperation.”

NASS will analyze the survey information and publish the results in a series of USDA  reports, including the annual Acreage and quarterly Grain Stocks reports to be released June 30, 2021. Survey data also contribute to NASS’s monthly and annual Crop Production reports, the annual Small Grains Summary, annual Farms and Land in Farms and Land Values reports, various livestock reports, including Cattle, Sheep and Goats, and Hogs and Pigs, and USDA’s  monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

These and all NASS reports are available at nass.usda.gov/Publications/. For more  information, call the NASS Northwest Region Office at 800-435-5883.