During the next several weeks, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey. The agency will survey almost 3,700 farmers across California and Nevada, to determine crop production and supplies levels in 2017. “Due to the widespread and significant impact of its results, the June Agricultural Survey, also known as the Crops/Stocks Survey, and the June Area Survey are two of the most important and well-known surveys NASS conducts,” explained Chris Messer, director of the NASS Pacific Regional Office. “When growers respond to these surveys, they provide essential information that helps us determine the prospective production and supply of major commodities in the United States for the 2017 crop year. Everyone who relies on agriculture for their livelihoods is interested in the results.”
NASS gathers the data for the June Agricultural Survey online, by mail, phone and in-person interview. For the June Area Survey, agency representatives visit randomly selected tracts of land and interview the operators of any farm or ranch on that land. Growers provide information on crop acreage – including biotech crops—as well as grain stocks, livestock inventory, cash rents, land values, and value of sales.
NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in a series of USDA reports, including the annual Acreage report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released June 30, 2017. Survey data contribute to NASS’s monthly and annual Crop Production reports, as well as the annual Small Grains Summary and USDA’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
“NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified,” stated Messer. “We recognize this is a hectic time for farmers and ranchers, but the information they provide helps U.S. agriculture remain viable and capable. I urge them to respond to these surveys and thank them for their cooperation,” said Messer.
All reports are available on the NASS website: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Pacific Regional Field Office at 1-800-851-1127.