Time Is Running Out to Be Counted in USDA Agriculture Census
This is your last chance to complete the 2022 Census of Agriculture, as there is only one week left to return the questionnaire.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will end data collection for the 2022 Census of Agriculture on May 31.
In December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) mailed the Census of Agriculture questionnaires to every known ag producer in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The ag census is conducted just once every five years and provides a complete account of the nation’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them.
“The Census of Agriculture remains the only comprehensive and impartial source of agricultural data for every state and county in the nation. It gives producers the opportunity to help shape decisions that will impact their operations, communities, and the future of the industry for several years,” NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer said in a press release. “Not being represented in these widely used data means risking being underserved.”
The Census of Agriculture provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive, and impartial agriculture data for every county in the nation. Through the Census of Agriculture, producers can show the nation the value and importance of agriculture and can influence decisions that will shape the future of U.S. agriculture. The ag census data are used by agribusinesses, educators, researchers, federal and local government, and many others when making decisions about farm programs, loans, insurance, rural development, disaster assistance, and more.
If you produced and sold $1,000 or more of agricultural product in 2022, or normally would have produced and sold that much, you meet USDA’s definition of a farm. However, landowners who lease land to producers, those solely involved in conservation programs, and even those who may not have farmed in 2022 are still required to respond. If you received the ag census but do not fit the definition of a farm, are no longer farming, never farmed, or have another update for us, please write your status on the form and mail it back. Every response matters.
Respond online at agcounts.usda.gov or return your form by mail. For assistance filling out the ag census, you can call 888-424-7828.
NASS will release the ag census data in early 2024. Visit www.nass.usda.gov/agcensus, for more information.
Why is the Census of Agriculture important?
The Census of Agriculture provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive, and impartial agriculture data for every county in the nation. Through the Census of Agriculture, producers can show the nation the value and importance of agriculture and can influence decisions that will shape the future of U.S. agriculture.
Who uses Census of Agriculture data?
Census of Agriculture data are used by all those who serve farmers and rural communities — federal, state and local governments, agribusinesses, trade associations, and many others.
- Farmers and ranchers can use Census of Agriculture data to make informed decisions about the future of their own operations.
- Companies and cooperatives use the data to determine where to locate facilities that will serve agricultural producers.
- Community planners use the information to target needed services to rural residents.
- Legislators use census data when shaping farm policies and programs.
Does NASS keep the information provided by individual respondents private?
NASS is bound by law (Title 7, U.S. Code, and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act or CIPSEA, Public Law 107-347) – and pledges to every data provider – to use the information for statistical purposes only. NASS publishes only aggregated data, not individual or farm-specific data.
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