US farmers to be heard in 2017 Census of Agriculture
The census, to be mailed at the end of this year, is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches and those who operate them.
”The Census of Agriculture remains the only source of uniform, comprehensive, and impartial agriculture data for every county in the nation,” NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer said. ”As such, census results are relied upon heavily by those who serve farmers and rural communities, including federal, state and local governments, agribusinesses, trade associations, extension educators, researchers, and farmers and ranchers themselves.”
The Census of Agriculture highlights land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, and other topics. The 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed more than 3 million farmers operated more than 2 million farms, spanning an excess of 914 million acres. This was a 4 percent decrease in the number of U.S. farms from the previous census in 2007. However, agriculture sales, income, and expenses increased between 2007 and 2012. This information and thousands of other agriculture statistics are a direct result of responses to the Census of Agriculture.
”Today, when data are so important, there is strength in numbers,” Hamer said. ”For farmers and ranchers, participation in the 2017 Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity to shape American agriculture — its policies, services, and assistance programs — for years to come.”
Producers who did not receive a Census of Agriculture in 2012 still have time to sign up to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture report form.
For more information:
Tel: +1 800 727 9540
www.agcensus.usda.gov