News

NASS hopes for high survey response

The USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) is hoping for high compliance with surveys farmers are asked to fill out this month and next. Director of the NASS Statistics Division, Joe Prusacki, tells Brownfield Ag News that it’s vital information.

“I want to thank the farmers, ranchers, growers, producers out there that take the time to fill out the report from NASS, answer the phone calls because THEY provide the best information about their farming operation.”

And, it’s that from-the-farm information, Prusacki says, that is the basis of farm policy, “Sound decisions CAN be made in terms of, do we have to look at different policies in terms of agriculture? Do we need to look for export markets? But, again, it takes good decisions based upon good information to move forward.”

More than 30-thousand producers nationwide are being asked to fill out the Agricultural Resource Management Survey, or, ARMS, about their 2011 operations, including, crop acreage yield production, how much they spent on inputs, and, how their commodity is marketed.

Each year, they get enough farmer responses to make the results statistically valid, but, Prusacki says, “You could always hope – hope for more.”

There are also three tailored surveys specifically for broilers, barley and grain sorghum production. The various commodity surveys are done on a rotating basis.

AUDIO: Interview with Joe Prusacki on Jan. 18, 2012 (6:00 min. mp3)