RALEIGH, N.C. – During the next several weeks, the 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 more than 2,500 farms across North Carolina to determine crop production and supply levels in 2018.
“It is vital for farmers to respond to these surveys to ensure quality information is made available to everyone” explained Dee Webb, North Carolina state statistician. “The survey data collected will provide insight to the prospective production and supply of major commodities in North Carolina for 2018.”
NASS gathers the data for the June Agricultural Survey online, by mail, phone and in-person interview. In North Carolina for the June Area Survey, about 50 National Association of State Department of Agriculture (NASDA) agency representatives will visit a randomized sample of land tracts and interview the operators of any farm on that land. Growers provide information on crop acreage, grain stocks, livestock inventory, cash rents, land values, and value of sales. These surveys will make available an objective snapshot of agricultural crop acreages, grain stocks, and other agricultural production in North Carolina.
“NASS appreciates the cooperation of farmers who provide these data, as well as the agencies which have promoted and publicized these upcoming surveys, to assist NASS in opportunity to make the best estimates possible,” Webb said. “NASDA enumerators will start visiting operations at the end of May and continue through mid-June.”
NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in a series of USDA reports, including the annualAcreage report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released June 29, 2018. 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.
“By federal law 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,” Webb said. “We know this is a hectic time for farmers, but the information they provide helps U.S. and North Carolina agriculture remain viable and capable. I urge them to respond to these surveys and thank them for their cooperation.”
All reports are available on the NASS website: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Calendar/reports_by_date.php.
For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS North Carolina Field Office at (800) 437-8451, or visithttps://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/North_Carolina/.
–Dee Webb, NASS