United States Department of Agriculture

The National Agricultural Classification Survey is a nationwide effort to identify potential agricultural operations in the United States. The results of this survey will help provide the best possible coverage for the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture is a complete accounting of farms and ranches in the United States and the people who operate them. Collected once every five years by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Census of Agriculture provides information on land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures. This information is used to help make decisions that benefit you and your community – from decisions guiding succession planning and new and beginning farmer programs to decisions impacting agriculture practices, land stewardship, and sustainability.

Your response to this survey will help NASS provide the most complete accounting of agriculture in the United States. Did you know that 75 percent of the 2 million farms in the United States reported agricultural sales of $50,000 or less in the 2017 Census of Agriculture? Many people who do not consider themselves to be farmers or ranchers actually meet the official census definition of a farm - any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced, or normally would have been produced, per year.

Even if you have no agricultural activity, your response is still important to us so we can ensure our records are up to date and you are removed from future contacts.

YES - if you own or rent agricultural land, grow vegetables, grow horticultural or floricultural products, have fruit or nut trees, cattle, horses, poultry, hogs, bees, aquaculture products, or consider yourself a farmer or rancher, we need to hear from you.

Survey forms will be mailed in April 2020 to addresses where agricultural activities may have occurred or have the potential to occur. Responses are due by May 4, 2020. NASS staff may follow up to try and gather the information if we do not receive a completed survey.

Please complete your form online at www.agcounts.usda.gov. All you need is your unique survey code located on the front of the questionnaire to complete your survey online. You may also complete and return your survey by mail using the return envelope provided.

Absolutely. Respondents are guaranteed by law (Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347) that their individual information will be kept confidential. NASS uses the information only for statistical purposes and publishes data only in tabulated totals. The report cannot be used for purposes of taxation, investigation, or regulation. The privacy of individual records is also protected from Freedom of Information Act requests.

If you are not actively farming, ranching, or engaged in any agricultural activity, your response is still important to us to verify that you do not currently meet the definition of a farm or ranch, and so we can remove you future contacts. Please complete the first four questions and follow the instructions provided. If you do not complete the survey, NASS staff may follow up to try and gather the information.

If you receive more than one questionnaire, and have more than one operation, please complete a survey for each separate operation you conduct. If you only have one operation, please complete only one survey and write “DUPLICATE” on the front of the other questionnaires and return them all in the same envelope.

To ensure the most complete count of farms and ranches in the United States, NASS maintains a list of individuals who have agricultural production. Additionally, we obtain mailing lists from public and private sources associated with agriculture. Some of the lists did not indicate whether the addressee was actually an agricultural producer but did indicate that the addressee likely has the potential to have agricultural production. You may have received a survey form if your name appeared on one or more of those lists.

For more information or help completing your form, call 1-888-4AG-STAT or 1-888-424-7828.