LOUISVILLE, Ky. — What is on the horizon for Kentucky farmers in 2017 as they finalize plans for planting this spring? The March Agricultural Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey more than 1,800 farmers in the Commonwealth, and approximately 84,000 nationwide, to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season.
“This is the first USDA survey-based estimates of farmers’ planting intentions for the year,” said David Knopf, director of the NASS Eastern Mountain Regional Office in Kentucky. “It will be important to know how weather conditions and commodity prices are influencing producer plans. The poultry growers, bourbon distilleries, tobacco industry, cattle and milk producers all rely on local crop production.”
The survey is asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2017, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. NASS encourages producers to respond online or by mail. Those producers who do not respond by Feb. 27, may be contacted for a telephone or personal interview.
NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in the annual Prospective Plantings report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on March 31, 2017.
As with all NASS surveys, the results of this survey will be available in aggregate form only, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. For more information about Kentucky surveys and reports, call the NASS Kentucky Field Office at (800) 928-5277, or visit https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kentucky/.
— USDA NASS Eastern Mountain Regional Field Office
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