The Department of Agriculture is kicking off a countdown to the beginning of the next Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the census will be mailed at the end of this year and is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches and those who operate them.
A USDA NASS spokesperson says the Census of Agriculture “remains the only source of uniform, comprehensive, and impartial agriculture data for every county in the nation.” The Census of Agriculture highlights land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, and other topics.
The 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed that more than three million farmers operated more than two million farms, spanning 914 million acres. This was a four percent decrease in the number of U.S. farms from the previous census in 2007. Producers who are new to farming or did not receive a Census of Agriculture in 2012 still have time to sign up to receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture report form by visiting www.agcensus.usda.gov
