Wisconsin Ag Connection - Producers Encouraged to Take Part in Ag Census

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Producers Encouraged to Take Part in Ag Census
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 12/27/2012

Wisconsin's 77,000 farmers will soon have the opportunity to make their voices heard and help shape the future of agriculture for years to come. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is asking farmers and ranchers throughout the state and nation to participate in the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Census forms will soon be arriving in farm mail boxes. Completed forms are due by February 4.

"The Census of Agriculture is the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agricultural data for every county across the nation," said State Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel. "By completing your 2012 Census, government leaders, agribusinesses and trade associations will have the information needed to make good decisions impacting agriculture and our rural communities."

Conducted every five years by the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, the information collected is used for statistical purposes only. The privacy of individual Census records is protected by law.

The Census looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures and other topics. It provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the state and nation. Companies rely on Census data when determining where to locate their operations. And farmers themselves can use Census data to help make critical decisions about their businesses.

Brancel says a farm is any place that produced and sold, or normally would have sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural products during the 2012 Census year.

Meanwhile, producers can also fill the form out online at agcensus.usda.gov.

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