Farmers urged to take part in Census of Agriculture
Deadline for submitting completed forms is Feb. 4

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is urging farmers to make their voices heard and help shape the future of U.S. agriculture by completing the 2007 Census of Agriculture.

The census is conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is a complete count of the nation’s farms and the people who run them. Census forms, sent out by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, have begun arriving in farmers’ mailboxes. The forms will collect data for the 2007 calendar year. Completed forms are due by Feb. 4.

The census looks at land ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income, expenditures and other topics. It provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county in America.

“The census provides information that is not available anywhere else – information that benefits North Carolina farmers and their communities in many ways,” Troxler said. “Policy makers, community planners, companies and farmers all use census data to make a variety of important decisions.”

Producers can return their forms by mail. For the first time, they also have the option of filling out the census online using a secure Web site. Instructions for submitting data online are included with the census form.
For more information about the Census of Agriculture, contact the NASS North Carolina Field Office at (800) 437-8451 or log on to www.agcensus.usda.gov.