Hi, I'm Pat O'Leary with USDA's Office of Communications, and I'm here with Adam
Cline from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Adam is
the Census and Survey Division Section Head and he's going to highlight some
information about the Census of Agriculture and the upcoming once every
five year census data release on April 11th.
Adam we've been hearing a lot about the Census of Agriculture pretty regularly
over the last couple of years. What should everyone know about the
census of Agriculture? Well thanks for having me, Pat. I always appreciate the
opportunity to speak about the Census. The census actually has a pretty long
interesting history going back to 1840 when the first census was conducted. It
was conducted in conjunction with the decennial census from 1840 until about
1920. After 1920 the Census of Agriculture broke off from the decennial
census and was conducted every four or five years. In 1982 we began the every
five-year cycle we're on now, which is years ending in two and seven. The
Census of Agriculture allows us to collect more detailed information on
certain aspects of the agriculture industries, such as aquaculture and
organic and horticulture. We do this with a series of special studies. These are
surveys conducted in between years of the five-year census of Agriculture. Adam,
where will this data live?Where will we find it all? The Census of Agriculture
data, including 2017 and the historical years is all available on our website at
www.nass.usda.gov.
Beyond being sent to every farmer and rancher in the country, what makes the
Census of Agriculture different from other NASS surveys? Well the Census of
Agriculture allows us to provide data for every county in the nation. It also
gives us a glimpse into the demographic makeup of American
agriculture and the people that are involved. And it also gives us data on
specialty crops and livestock that our annual programs do not collect, such as
ginseng and alpacas. And what do we know about how the data are used? The Census of Agriculture
data will be used by all those who serve farmers in the US; businesses use the
data to target certain locations for their
abilities that will best serve the farmer; local governments use the data to
target programs and services for its communities; Congress uses the data to
help shape farm policy and programs; and finally the farmers and ranchers
themselves use the data help make better decisions on their own operations. Will
NASS publish all the data you received? No, unfortunately we're not able to
publish all data. Any item that could potentially identify an individual
producer will be suppressed or hidden and noted with a D in the publication.
Adam, what was the National response rate to the census this time? Well first I'd
like to take the opportunity to thank the American farmers and ranchers that
took the time to respond to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. We had a good
response rate of about 72% and even though we do try, we do not expect a
response from everyone. Like other statistical agencies we do have
methodology in place to account for a certain level of non-response and this
allows us to continue to provide accurate data. We're coming up on the
April 11th data release date. What's next and when does the census cycle start all
over again? So as far as the 2017 Census of Agriculture is
concerned, yes we'll release the national, state and county level data on April
11th. But throughout the year we'll continue to release data products from
the 2017 census and these include state and county profiles as well as race,
ethnicity and gender profiles. Currently we are conducting the Puerto Rico census
of Agriculture so we're collecting data there now and in the next few weeks we
will begin collecting data, and there are other outlying areas such as Guam and
the US Virgin Islands. We're also currently conducting the first two
special studies - these are the 2018 census of aquaculture and the 2018
irrigation and water management survey. Meanwhile we are planning for the next
census which is the 2022 Census of Agriculture. We currently have an area
designated on our website for the public to offer comments and suggestions
on questionnaire content, and we also have an area for farmers to sign up to
be counted. Our goal is to continue to provide comprehensive and useful data to
the American public. You barely have time to catch your breath when the census
ends, you start all over again. Well we'd like to thank Adam Cline from the National
Agricultural Statistics Service. Thank you, Adam for
joining us today. Thank you, Pat. And next time we'll visit with Ginger Harris with
NASS in Kentucky to talk about what's new in the Census of Agriculture. Thanks
for joining us, we'll see you then.