July 26, 2018
By: Richard M. Blau, Chair, Food Law Industry Team
The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will end its data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture on July 31, 2018.
Anyone who received the Census questionnaire is required by law to respond by that date. The same law that requires response – Federal law, Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113 – also requires NASS to keep all information confidential, to use the data only for statistical purposes and to only publish data in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation.
"The Census of Agriculture, conducted once every five years, provides the only source of comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation," said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. "Your information helps ensure that future decisions about U.S. agriculture represent you, your industry, and your community." A video message from USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue is accessible online here.
The form can be completed online at www.agcensus.usda.gov or by calling 888-424-7828.
USDA plans to release data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture in February of 2019. You can learn more about the Ag Census on their website, or by contacting GrayRobinson’s Nationwide Food Law Group.