By DOUG SCHMITZ Iowa Correspondent WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. farmers and ranchers will soon be receiving the 2017 Census of Agriculture, with an updated online questionnaire that’s quite user-friendly, according to the USDA. “It can now be used on any electronic device, and can be saved and revisited as the producer’s schedule allows,” said Barbara Rater, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) census and survey division director. “Responding online saves time and protects data quality.” She said NASS has extensively revised the online questionnaire to make it more convenient for farmers and ranchers to mail in their completed census form, or respond online via the improved web questionnaire. “That’s our mission at the NASS: to provide timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture,” she added. “Better data mean informed decisions, and that’s why it is so important that every producer respond and be represented.” She said new time-saving features of the online questionnaire include automatically calculating totals, skipping sections that do not pertain to the operation and providing drop-down menus of frequent responses. Last December, the USDA sent out the National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS) to close to 1 million potential farmers and ranchers. This preliminary survey is used to decide who will receive a census of agriculture questionnaire in 2017. Conducted once every five years, the census is a complete count of all U.S. farms and ranches regarding land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures. According to the USDA, it is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them, even the 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 USDA said the census is the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state and county in the country, giving U.S. producers the ability to demonstrate agriculture’s importance and value by collecting data that will help determine the future of the industry. Rater said one recently added feature is a new video from USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue reminding all farmers and ranchers to respond when they receive their 2017 Census of Agriculture in the mail later this year. In addition, revisions and additions to the 2017 census aim to capture a more detailed account of the industry. Farmers and ranchers will see a new question about military veteran status, expanded questions about food marketing practices and questions about on-farm decision-making, to better capture the roles and contributions of beginning farmers, women farmers and others involved in running the businesses. From creating and funding farm programs to boosting services for communities and the industry, farmers and ranchers, trade associations, government, extension educators, researchers and many others rely on census data when making decisions that shape American agriculture. The USDA said the 2017 Census of Agriculture has the following uses: •Farmers and ranchers can use data to help make informed decisions about the future of their own operations •Companies and cooperatives use the facts and figures to determine the locations of facilities that will serve agricultural producers •Community planners use the information to target needed services to rural residents •Legislators use the numbers from the census when shaping farm policies and programs The USDA said response to the census is required by law under Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113, which also requires NASS to keep all information confidential, and to use the data only for statistical purposes and only in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any farmer or rancher. The USDA said the time required to complete the questionnaire is estimated at 50 minutes. This month, the NASS will make a census preparation checklist available on the census website to help farmers and ranchers gather necessary information in advance. NASS will mail questionnaires to farm and ranch operators in December to collect data for the 2017 calendar year. The website will be updated with new information through the census response deadline of Feb. 5, 2018. NASS plans to release census data, in both electronic and print formats, beginning in February 2019, with detailed reports published for all counties, states and the nation. For more information, call 888-424-7828 or visit www.agcensus.usda.gov |
