NASS prepares 2022 ag census mail-outs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Washington, D.C., will send the 2022 Census of Agriculture to every known ag producer in the country at the end of the year, with online survey codes being sent in November and paper questionnaires following in December.

Collected since 1840 and now conducted every five years by NASS, the census of agriculture tells the story and shows the value of U.S. agriculture. It highlights land use and ownership, producer characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, among other topics.

Between ag census years, NASS considers revisions to the questionnaire to document changes and emerging trends in the industry. Changes to the 2022 questionnaire include new questions about the use of precision agriculture, hemp production, hair sheep and updates to internet access questions.

The ag census includes operations of all size and location from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or would normally be produced and sold, in the ag census year. The USDA and NASS urge every producer from greenhouse growers to wheat and dairy producers to partake in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The gathered census data influence business and supply chain logistics and inform policy and program decisions that directly impact producers, their operations and communities.

“Census of agriculture data are widely used by federal and local governments, agribusinesses, trade associations, extension educators and many others to inform decisions about policy and farm programs and services that aid producers and rural communities,” says Hubert Hamer, NASS administrator. “By responding to the Census of Agriculture, by being represented in these important data, producers are literally helping to shape their futures.”

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