Census of Agriculture to Start Soon

Farmers will soon receive forms for the 2017 Census of Agriculture.  The Department of Agriculture’s National Ag Statistics Service says farmers and ranchers across the nation will begin receiving the forms in eight weeks.  Producers can mail in their completed census form, or respond online.  Conducted once every five years, the census of agriculture is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches, and those who operate them.

USDA said it is the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state and county in the country.  Producers will see a new question about military veteran status, expanded questions about food marketing practices, and questions about on-farm decision-making to better capture the roles, contributions of beginning farmers, women farmers and others involved in running the business.

More information and the web forms are available, at the USDA's Website.

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