Farmers and ranchers have until June 30 to sign up to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
To receive a census questionnaire this December, new farmers and ranchers and those not previously contacted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are asked to visit the Census of Agriculture website and click on the ‘Make Sure You are Counted’ button.
While on the website, farmers can watch the census introduction video, access frequently asked questions, explore past and current data and try the improved online census questionnaire demo.
The updated online questionnaire, which will go live late fall, is now accessible on any electronic device. New features save time by calculating totals automatically and skipping questions that do not pertain to the respondent’s operation.
“Responding to the census has never been easier,” NASS Census and Survey Division Director Barbara Rater said in a press release. “It is our hope that producers will become familiar with the online census questionnaire demo, like it and return to report online when responding to the Census of Agriculture later this year.”
Farmers and ranchers who are uncertain whether they classify as a farm should note that the census definition is any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the 2017 census year.
“The definition includes millions of farmers, ranchers and producers—rural and urban—and it is vital that all are represented in this complete count endeavor every five years,” Rater said. “Their voices show the nation the value and importance of agriculture and help influence decisions that will shape the future of American agriculture for years to come.”
The Census of Agriculture tells the story of U.S. agriculture. It provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agricultural data for every county in the nation. The data are valuable to those who serve farmers and rural communities, including federal, state and local government, agribusinesses, trade associations, extension educators, researchers, even farmers and ranchers themselves.
For more information, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov.