Summary: Just a reminder that we are about one month away from the deadline to respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which is conducted every five years. The Census provides a snapshot of U.S. agriculture, plus a state-by-state look at agriculture. It offers helpful insights that help guide the development of ag programs and policies. Fill out the Census today and submit it to be counted.
Today’s Topic with Southern Farm Network’s Mike Davis
- Last year we talked about the upcoming 2022 Census of Agriculture and its importance in helping guide the development of beneficial ag policies and programs.
- I encouraged all producers to answer the Census questions honestly and to the best of your abilities because it is important to count every farming operation in the state.
- This is a reminder that the deadline to respond is coming up in less than a month on Feb. 6.
- Farm operations of all sizes in North Carolina should have received information on the Census of Agriculture with instructions on how to submit responses either online or by mail.
- The Census captures information on operations that sell or normally would sell $1,000 or more of agricultural products.
- This year, questions on the use of precision agriculture, hemp production, hair sheep and updates to internet access are included in the Census.
- We have talked about how the Census of Agriculture can help drive public policy and programs and internet access is a good example of this.
- Internet access has been a focal point for USDA with a total of $65 billion in federal funding being made available in 2022 through loans and grants to expand reliable and affordable high-speed internet to all communities across the U.S.
- In late October, North Carolina internet access projects were included in $759 million targeted to 24 states, Puerto Rico and Guam.
- All questions are intended to create an accurate snapshot of agricultural production across the United States and in each state.
- The information collected in the Census is kept confidential. The data is only used for statistical purposes and will only be shared in an aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any producer.
- Filling out the Census is an easy thing to do and I encourage you to take a few minutes and fill out information about your farming operation and send it in or submit it online.
- As you can imagine, it takes a considerable amount of time to process data from farms across the United States and turn them into a report. The results are expected to be released in early 2024.
- We know 2022 was a very challenging year for the ag industry. While commodity prices had been up some, input costs were up significantly, too.
- I can tell you that I will be interested to see where we are production-wise and what our farm and farmland numbers show us.
- Be sure to fill out your Census questionnaire today and turn it in to be counted.