2007 ag census is your voice
Editor’s note: Another Voice is an opinion column that provides perspective on issues that affect agriculture. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Today’s Farmer or MFA Incorporated. Submissions should be 700 words. Send submissions or inquiries to TodaysFarmer@mfa-inc.com.
The ‘what ifs” in agriculture almost always surround the weather or markets. “What if we had gotten 1 more inch of rain in August?” or “What if there had not been a BSE cow found in the U.S?” are the kind of questions you may ponder as you wrap up the year’s books. But consider another set of “what ifs.” These are speculations of another sort—things that are more predictable than the weather and still have plenty to do with markets.
What if U.S. agriculture had no idea of the demand for the products being produced by our farmers, the quantity of export sales or the world supply of commodities? That would put a dent in marketing wisdom.
And what if farmers operated with no price knowledge of seed, fertilizer, cash rent rates or land prices? That would put a dent in the availability of capital.
These examples prove that information is power. But when it comes to accurate and credible information about an industry as independent as production agriculture, farmers have to be willing to give in order to get.
The USDA has long recognized the producer’s need for unbiased, timely and publicly accessible statistics. In fact, more than 125 years ago, the statistical division was one of the first groups formed in the newly established USDA. Today, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has a network of statisticians in each state who methodically count agriculture. The counting takes place through a systematic sampling of representative agricultural producers providing NASS with details about their individual operations. Those details are expanded into state and national results and publicly available at the same time to everyone. Those estimates have proven to be very accurate over the years and are considered by most experts to be the benchmark for many decisions made in and around agriculture.
Over the years, NASS has assumed its role for several reasons, most of which affect your farm in some way. NASS is:
• Mandated by Congress to provide weekly reports to the public on the overall progress and condition of major crops, by state.
• Mandated to produce monthly forecasts of the crop production potential during the growing season so both producers and customers know what is expected to be available for feed, food, fuel, and export. Would our world customers be willing to wait until harvest was complete to purchase the needs of their citizens or would they seek out other suppliers?
• Mandated to estimate pork production monthly, cattle production every 6 months, and milk, egg and feedlot production every month to ensure both producers and consumers have the knowledge necessary to plan, market and develop world markets.
• Mandated to report weekly the prices manufacturers of dairy products (butter, cheese, dry milk and whey) receive to be incorporated into the calculations by the Federal Milk Market Orders that establish the minimum farm level milk process.
All in all, NASS provides data via surveys in more than 500 reports annually—everything from crop and livestock production, the costs of producing certain crops, the economic status of U.S farms by type and organic production.
To get the information that so affects farmers and communities in the United States, the Census of Agriculture is conducted every 5 years. Similar in concept to the population census, during the Ag Census every producer is contacted to help paint an accurate picture of the rural landscape. Data grouped as narrowly as by zip code is important to support or negate proposes legislation. It’s also valuable for grant applications to improve hospital access or develop rural health care facilities as well as extension services and other community service expansions. And, of course, it is important to agriculture.
The 2007 Census of Agriculture will provide invaluable facts to support the needs of every community.
Participants in the Ag Census, as well as all surveys conducted by NASS, can be assured their individual reported information is used only for statistical purposed. All reporters are guaranteed that their information provided to no one—a guarantee provided by federal law.
If you are a farmer, voluntarily reply promptly to the 2007 Census of Agriculture and other NASS surveys when asked. Encourage your neighbors and fellow producers to help ensure information used to make marketing and planning decisions are accurate and available to everyone. If you are not a producer, help promote the need for accurate and unbiased information as a value to agriculture and your local communities.
Gene Danekas is director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Missouri field office.
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