Farmers and ranchers have one week left to complete their 2017 Census of Agriculture.
The US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service ends all data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture on July 31. Anyone who received the Census questionnaire is required by law to respond by the deadline.
The survey can be completed online at www.agcensus.usda.gov or by calling toll-free (888) 424-7828.
NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer says the Census of Agriculture is done once every five years and provides the only source of comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation. He says every response matters, even the ones that tell USDA NASS you are not, or are no longer, a farm.
The same law that requires response (Federal law, Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113) also requires NASS to:
- keep all information confidential
- to use the data only for statistical purposes
- to only publish data in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation
If you received a 2017 Census of Agriculture, again the deadline to return your completed survey is July 31, 2018. NASS plans to release census data in February (2019).
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue video– Be counted: Return your 2017 Census of Agriculture Online Today.
How to Respond Online, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOqqJOcsX_c
