Deadline near for agriculture census

Agricultural producers have until May 31 to return completed questionnaires for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Census of Agriculture.

Federal law requires all who received an agriculture census to complete it and return it.

“The Census of Agriculture remains the only comprehensive and impartial source of agricultural data for every state and county in the nation,” National Agricultural

Statistics Service Administrator Hubert Hamer said in a USDA news release Tuesday.

“It gives producers the opportunity to help shape decisions that will impact their operations, communities, and the future of the industry for several years … 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.”

Those who produced and sold $1,000 or more of an agricultural product last year, or would have normally, meet USDA’s definition of a farm, landowners who lease land to producers, those involved solely in conservation programs and even agricultural producers who may not have farmed in 2022 must respond, according to the USDA.

“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,” Hamer said.

The census is conducted every five years and provides demographics and data on agricultural commodities to create an accurate representation of the industry’s health.

Census recipients can submit responses online at agcounts.usda.gov or via mail; more information is available at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service will release the data in early 2024.