NW Producers Reminded The Importance Of The Census Of Ag

Only a few weeks remain for produces, growers, ranchers, farmers of all walks, to participate in the Census of Ag.  Dennis Koong, NASS Northwest Regional Director, said the USDA needs accurate data, so it’s vital that producers participate.

“Policymakers are looking for facts and to make fact-based decisions.  They're looking towards the census of agriculture and they're developing policy, or businesses making decisions on where to invest infrastructure, those types of things.  The census of agriculture is a great data source to make those types of decisions going down you know it's their future and it's their voice towards their future.”

In an effort to streamline the survey, NASS is encouraging producers to participate on-line.  Koong said producers should have already received an access code via the mail so they can participate.

“It's a much more interactive experience than it has been in prior census years.  One thing is we're offering a previously reported data pre filled in the instrument which should cut down on the time.  And they have the opportunity to change that.  If something was misreported in the previous survey iteration for that year or if things change with the operation they can go back and change that.”

Koong stressed whether you participate on-line, or via mail, all information submitted for the Census of Ag remains confidential.  Census of Ag surveys need to be completed by Monday February 6th.

Click Here to learn more about the 2022 Census of Agriculture.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com