The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will mail letters with survey codes this December to more than 22,000 U.S. farmers involved in certified or transitioning to certified organic farming for the 2019 Organic Survey.
Each farmer who self-reported organic farming in the 2017 Census of Agriculture will receive a unique survey code to respond conveniently online and to be represented in this once-every-five-year data.
“The latest Census of Agriculture results show continued interest in organic agriculture among consumers, producers and businesses,” NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer said. “NASS produces the most comprehensive source of data on organic farming in the United States. Good data and informed decisions about organic programs and services start with having a robust survey response. We thank the producers in advance for their participation.”
The 2019 Organic Survey results will expand on the 2017 Census of Agriculture data by looking at several aspects of organic agriculture during the 2019 calendar year, including production, marketing practices, income, expenses and more.
Farmers who receive the 2019 Organic Survey are required to respond by federal law (Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113), as this survey is part of the Census of Agriculture Program. The same federal law that requires response also requires NASS to keep all individual information confidential.
Farmers and ranchers are asked to complete their surveys online via NASS’ secure website.
The online questionnaire is user friendly, accessible on most electronic devices and saves farmers valuable time by calculating totals and automatically skipping questions not applicable to their operations. Responding online also improves data quality and saves resources.
The deadline for response is Jan. 10, 2020. Results will be available October 2020.
For more information about the survey, visit www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.