By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The USDA will soon begin counting acreage devoted to the growth of specialty crops in Illinois, according to the Illinois field office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

It began mailing questionnaires to more than 3,000 specialty crops growers in Illinois last month in order to gauge both acreage and sales of  products such as Calhoun County peaches, Madison County horseradish and Tazewell County pumpkins, according to Mark Schleusener of the Illinois NASS.

“One of the things we’d like to do is determine how Illinois ranks with other states in terms of specialty crops production. There is currently grant money available to spur the growth of specialty crops, in particular, food crops. We’d like to make sure Illinois producers get their fair share of that grant money,” Schleusener said.

“We typically don’t ask questions about things like strawberries and asparagus; the next time will be for the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Since the 2007 census counted specialty crops, there has been a large increase in demand for these types of crops This (count) will kind of fill in the gaps between the 2007 and 2012 censuses.”

For the purposes of the survey, specialty crops are defined as fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs and horseradish.

“Generally, these crops are grown all over Illinois, though there are some pockets of specialized production,” said Schleusener. “We measure major Illinois agricultural commodities like corn and soybeans and hogs and pigs frequently because they are large economic factors, but specialty crops such as Mason County sweet corn are not measured frequently. Hopefully (the survey) will help with the local food movement.”

Some local food programs, such as Farm-to-School, are just beginning to address the need for more local food production information, according to Brad Schwab, leader of NASS’ Illinois field office.

“This project will provide details on the state totals of many types of crops in Illinois,” he stated, adding that data provided by producers are protected and individual reports are confidential.

The survey can only help increase the availability of funding for specialty growers and improve the state’s local food distribution network, Illinois’ agriculture director said.

“This project allows us to better assess our local production capabilities and can shape the development of the food distribution network as it comes online,” stated Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Tom Jennings, in a news release.

“This is essential information if we’re going to build a sustainable local food production and distribution system here in Illinois.”

Follow-up phoning of those who were sent questionnaires, as well as selected personal visits to producers, will begin soon. For more information, contact Schleusener or Greg Gholson at 800-622-9865.