While Census of Ag Changes, The Goal Remains the Same

As farmers and ranchers are filling out the 2017 Census of Agriculture, they will notice some new questions compared to the last questionnaire five years ago.  Erik Gerlach, State Statistician for South Dakota, says there have been several revisions and additions to the latest Census.

“Producers are going to see new questions about military veteran status, along with expanded questions about food marketing practices and questions about on farm decision making.”

Gerlach said while producers always have the option of filling out the Census via the paper copy, the USDA has made many changes to the on-line version, in hopes to make the process easier, and more attractive for younger farmers.  And he notes the importance of the Census has not changed.

“While we’ve talked about some changes and we’ve talked about some very specific situations about population, the entire content of the census is ultimately to advocate for all of agriculture by quantifying those economic contributions of our nation’s farmers and ranchers and showing through numbers and data just how important they are to the counties and states where they reside.”

Federal law requires all those who receive a Census of Agriculture report form to respond even if they did not operate a farm or ranch in 2017.  The deadline for the Census of Agriculture is February 5^th.  The results will be available in February 2019.

Click Here to learn more.

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com