By DALE HILDEBRANT
Taking a few minutes to complete the 2012 Census of Agriculture will give each farmer and rancher an opportunity to help shape farm programs, boost rural services and grow your operation’s future. The Census, which is conducted every five years by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, provides detailed data covering nearly every facet of the nation’s agricultural industry. It looks at land use and ownership, production practices, expenditures and other factors that affect the way farmers to business and succeed in the 21st Century.
“The 2012 Census of Agriculture provides farmers with a powerful voice. The information gathered through the Census influences policy decisions that can have a tremendous impact on farmers and their communities for years to come," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "I strongly encourage all farmers, no matter how large or small their operation, to promptly complete and return their Census, so they can voice to the nation the value and importance of agriculture.”
All farmers and ranchers should receive a Census form in the mail by early January, according to Patrick Boyle, deputy director of the NASS North Dakota Field Office.
“The Ag Census provides a lot of our benchmark numbers that our other programs revolve around,” Boyle said. “We attempt to contact every producer in the state. None of our other surveys have that broad a scope, so this really serves as the benchmark for our programs internally.
“But more importantly, the information gathered is used by Congress and by policy makers at the federal, state and even local level.”
The Census form is 26 pages in length and officials estimate it should take an average of 50 minutes to complete, according to Boyle. Those with smaller operations may find it takes less time to complete, while those with larger, more complex enterprises may take a bit longer. Producers can either fill out the copy they receive in their mail box, or complete the Census form online at a secure website: www.agcensus.usda.gov. Everyone receiving a Census of Agriculture form is required by federal law to complete the form and return it by the established deadline, which is Feb. 4, 2013.
Even though the general population Census is taken every 10 years, the Census of Agriculture is taken every five years because there are so many changes that occur within the agricultural industry, Boyle said. Agricultural information was gathered with the population census until 1840 and was collected every 10 years until 1950, when it was decided to collect ag data every five years. Between 1954 and 1974 the U.S. Census Bureau conducted the Census of Agriculture in years ending in 4 and 9. However, following the Census of Agriculture in 1978, the Census Bureau and USDA decided to conduct ag census in years ending in 2 and 7 in order to align it with the Economic Census and the Census of Governments.
Federal law requires all agricultural producers who had more than $1,000 in product sales in 2012 to participate in the Census. Even though the number of individuals receiving Census of Agriculture forms has remained relatively stable for the past few times, Boyle noted, the number of large farmers continues to decline nationwide, which makes it even more important that everyone complete a census form.
“In a statistical sense, the smaller your sample size the more influential each record can be,” Boyle said, referring to the declining number of large farms. “If someone doesn’t send their form in we are going to have to make our best estimate on what’s going on at their farm. We know the best source of information is from the producers, not what we can interpolate on other records.
“The return that they get for the little time they invest is high. It may not be a direct return, but indirectly, they benefit greatly by taking a few minutes by filling out the form and getting it back to us.”
All individual information gathered from the Census is kept confidential, Boyle noted.
Citing the importance of the Census of Agriculture to North Dakota’s ag industry, Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring encouraged producers to fill out and file the Census form.
“It is especially important in North Dakota, where agriculture is the largest segment of our economy,” Goehring said. “This is a major opportunity for farmers and ranchers to influence the decision that will shape the future of their operations, their communities and the entire agricultural industry.”
With the number of those involved in production agriculture, Vilsack said it is important that rural America tell their story to the rest of the nation, and the Ag Census helps with that challenge.
“Along with their accomplishments as business men and women, farmers know about the challenges they face in their local areas,” said Vilsack. “Taking part in the Census is increasingly important to farmers and every community in America because it provides important information and helps tell the true story about the state of agriculture in the United States today.”
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