Agricultural Statistics - Survey Announcement
May 2008
For more information, contact:
Gail Gregory
North Carolina Field Office
800-437-8451
USDA to look at crop acreage across the state
Raleigh, NC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be interviewing farm operators during the June Agricultural Survey. As part of the nationwide survey, NASS representatives will be knocking on doors or phoning producers to collect information about their land uses and agricultural activities.
“The June Survey is one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys conducted each year by NASS,” explained Herb Vanderberry, director of the NASS North Carolina Field Office. This survey will ask farmers to report their actual plantings for 2008. It provides the first clear indication of the supply of major commodities in North Carolina and the United States for this crop year.”
“Understanding that the information we gather is only as good as the source it comes from, we are counting on the most reliable, frontline source of information for this survey – the producers themselves,” added Vanderberry.
During the first two weeks of June, NASS representatives will visit predetermined areas of land in NC and conduct personal interviews with operators of any farm on that land. NASS will collect information on farm numbers, crop acreage, genetically modified crop acreage, grain stocks, livestock inventory, cash rents and land values, and the value of sales. At the same time, a sample of producers will be contacted by mail or telephone to provide information on commodities planted for 2008 and current storage levels.
The information from these surveys will be compiled and analyzed and then published in a series of reports, including the annual Acreage report and the quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on June 30. The data is also used extensively by NASS in its ongoing survey and estimation programs, and provides direct data, or is a critical component, for other NASS reports, including: the monthly Crop Production report and inventory reports for Cattle, Hogs and Pigs, and Sheep and Goats.
As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. “NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified,” stated Vanderberry. All reports are available on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS NC Field Office at (800) 437-8451.
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May 1, 2008
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