FILL OUT YOUR NASS SURVEY

Lindsay Mitchell

Sep 09, 2016  |  Today's News

The confidential crop survey from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be arriving in your mailbox soon—and it’s very important that you take the time to complete it.

The number of farmers completing the confidential National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) crop survey has been declining in recent years—and that’s bad news for farmers.

Results of the confidential NASS crop survey are important in determining the implementation of farm payments and programs you depend on—from the Agriculture Risk Coverage Program (county option) to the Price Loss Coverage Program—even farm appraisals.

If NASS does not receive an adequate number of farmer-completed surveys from your county, they must use other less reliable sources of data to calculate actual production in your county.  

The downward trend in farmer-completed surveys has led to the inability of NASS to publish reliable data in numerous counties across the country.  If this continues, NASS may not be able to publish this data for many counties at all.

 For example, county-specific yield data is the basis for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program yield guarantee calculations.   If there are not enough completed surveys, farmers in your county may receive payments less than the amount that should be delivered.

This is about your bottom line.  By taking the time to complete the confidential NASS crop survey, you play an active role in ensuring fair implementation of farm programs in your county.

To respond to your NASS survey, click here.  (You must have first received your survey in the mail and need your survey code.)