There is still time to complete the Census of Agriculture for producers who may have missed the June 15th deadline. A Farm Journal report notes that completed forms were first due from farmers back in February, but the deadline has been extended through the end of July. A press release from the National Agricultural Statistics Service says they extended the original deadline because a large number of producers still hadn’t been counted in the census. If producers aren’t represented in the survey, they risk being underserved in areas like farm programs, disaster assistance, agricultural research, local policies, and business.
NASS says that’s why it’s so important that they hear from as many farmers as possible. Barbara Rater, the Census and Survey Division Director at NASS, says the census tells the whole story of agriculture. “Even smaller plots of land, both rural or urban, that grow fruit, vegetables, or even some small food animals, count in the survey if $1,000 worth of those products were sold,” Rater says. She said the census is a critical tool that gives producers an important voice in decisions that have a direct impact on their future.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service