USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is letting producers know they have less than a week to return their 2022 ag census form. Data collection will officially end on Wednesday, May 31, so there is still time to respond, either by mail or online at agcounts.usda.gov. Landowners who lease land to producers, those solely involved in conservation programs, and even those who may not have farmed in 2022 are still required to respond. Producers who received the ag census but do not fit the definition of a farm, are no longer farming, never farmed, or have another update for NASS should write their status on the form and mail it back. Every response matters!
Ag census data are used by agribusinesses, educators, researchers, federal and local government, and many others when making decisions about farm programs, loans, insurance, rural development, disaster assistance, and more. Not responding means not being represented in these widely used data, and therefore risk being underserved. For assistance filling out the ag census, recipients can call 888-424-7828. NASS will release the ag census data in early 2024.
The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Even small plots of land – whether rural or urban – growing fruit, vegetables or some food animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the Census year. The Census of Agriculture, taken only once every five years, looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures. For America’s farmers and ranchers, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity.