The USDA will begin mailing questionnaires for the 2017 Census of Agriculture to producers this week, the first step in a survey conducted every five years to create what is the most complete USDA picture of the farm and ranch sector. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the census provides “some of the most widely used statistics in the industry.”
Producers have the option of responding to the census online or by mail. USDA official Hubert Hamer, whose agency conducts the census, urged use of the online questionnaire, which has such time-saving features as automatic calculators. The 2017 version of the census has a new question about military veteran status, expanded questions about food marketing practices, and questions about decision making on the farm “to help better capture the roles and contributions of beginning farmers, women farmers, and others involved in running a farm,” said the USDA.
The ag census has been conducted since 1840. Responses are due by Feb. 5. It will take the USDA about a year to process and organize the results, which are expected to be released in February 2019.
For a brief Q&A about the census or to see previous censuses, click here.