COLUMBUS, Ohio — The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be contacting farmers in Ohio and Indiana from mid-August to late September as part of a national survey of conservation practices.

During the first phase of the National Resources Inventory (NRI) – Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), NASS will contact approximately 500 farmers and ranchers in Indiana and 300 in Ohio to determine if their operations and properties meet eligibility criteria to participate in the survey.

Those deemed eligible may be contacted from October 2015-February 2016 and asked to participate in the survey, part of a two-year project. The same survey process and schedule will be followed later in 2016 with a different set of producers. "The survey gives farmers the power to provide a more complete and accurate picture of the conservation practices they choose to use on their land and in their operation," said Greg Matli, Indiana state statistician. "If contacted, I urge farmers to participate. Their responses can help leaders focus on the conservation practices that most benefit both the farmer and the natural resources on which we all rely."

CEAP’s purpose is to measure the environmental benefits associated with implementation and installation of conservation practices on cultivated and non-cultivated agricultural land, according to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the lead agency for the project. NASS conducts the survey for CEAP under a cooperative agreement with NRCS.

Data obtained from the project may help NRCS conservationists and partners determine the efficiency and effectiveness of current conservation techniques and help identify best practices.

CEAP results also help evaluate resources farmers and ranchers may need in the future to further protect soil, water, and habitat; shed light on techniques farmers and ranchers use to conserve healthy agricultural systems and environments; improve and strengthen technical and financial programs that help farmers and ranchers plan and install conservation measures on agricultural land; and support conservation programs that can help farmers and ranchers’ profits, while also protecting natural resources.

A sample of soybean and oat growers across Michigan will soon be contacted to participate in Phase II of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). Conducted annually in the fall and winter, ARMS is the USDA’s primary source of information on the production practices, resource use and economic well-being of America’s farm households.

The information from ARMS provides important links between what farmers produce, how they produce it and the financial state of their operations. NASS will conduct personal interviews with more than 11,000 farm operators nationwide, including 350 in Michigan.

They will be asked to provide information on their fertilizer, nutrient and pesticide applications, as well as their pest management and irrigation practices.

"This is the second phase of ARMS, where we focus on production practices and costs. This year, we are looking at soybeans and oats," said Ty Kalaus, acting director of the Michigan office. "During the third phase of the survey, in early 2016, we will follow up with some producers to obtain additional economic data.

"Virtually every federal farm program and policy is based on ARMS data. All of them rely on information generated through this survey."