USDA to survey farmers about 2014 crops

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages Virginia farmers to participate in two important mid-year surveys from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). In June, NASS will survey nearly 1,600 farms across Virginia to determine crop production and supply levels in 2014.

“Due to the widespread impact of its results, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey are two of the most important surveys NASS conducts,” explained Herman Ellison, director of the NASS Virginia Field Office. “The information that growers provide serves as the first clear indication of the potential production and supply of major commodities in the United States for the 2014 crop year.”

NASS gathers the data for the agriculture survey online, by mail or by phone. For the area survey, agency representatives will visit randomly selected tracts of land and interview the operators of any farm or ranch on that land. Growers will provide information on crop acreage, grain stocks, livestock inventory, cash rents, land values and value of sales. NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in a series of usda reports, including the annual Acreage report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on June 30, 2014.

Survey data contribute to the NASS monthly and annual Crop Production reports, and USDA’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates. As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by 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.

All reports are available on the NASS website: www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Virginia Field Office at 800.772.0670.