[Agriculture Fact Book 98]

National Agricultural Statistics Service

The mission of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is to serve the basic agricultural and rural data needs of the people of the United States, those working in agriculture, and those living in rural communities by objectively providing important, usable, and accurate statistical information and services needed to make informed decisions.

NASS headquarters is located in Washington, DC, while the 45 State Statistical Offices (SSO’s) cover 120 crops and 45 livestock items annually in the 50 States. Current and historical information is published in approximately 400 reports, which feature:

• Crop acreage, yield, production, and grain stocks,
• Livestock, dairy, and poultry production and prospects,
• Chemical use in agriculture, including post-harvest applications on selected crops,
• Labor use and wage rates,
• Farms and land in farms, and
• Prices, costs, and returns.

An abundance of agricultural information is available to data users through NASS programs. In addition to the information above, estimates on more specialized commodities, including hop stocks, mink, cherries, cranberries, lentils, and peppermint oil, are also available. The information is geared toward producers and can help them plan planting, feeding, breeding, and marketing programs. The data are also used by agricultural organizations, services, and businesses; trade groups; and financial institutions to determine demand for inputs, resources, transportation, and crop and livestock products related to storage. In addition, the data are used to make and carry out agricultural policy concerning farm program legislation, commodity programs, agricultural research, and rural development.

Most estimates are based on information gathered from producers surveyed through personal and telephone interviews or through mailed questionnaires. In addition, for major crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton, in-the-field counts and measurement of plant development are made in top producing States. Other estimates are based on surveys of grain elevators, hatcheries, and other agribusinesses, as well as on administrative data such as slaughter records.

Data collected from these varied sources are summarized by the NASS SSO serving that State and sent to the agency’s Agricultural Statistics Board in Washington, DC, whose members determine and issue State and national official estimates.

Census of Agriculture

In 1997, NASS’s statistics program was enhanced through the addition of the 5-Year Census of Agriculture, previously administered by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau. This will broaden the scope of agricultural statistics available through the agency. Results from the 1997 Census of Agriculture survey will be available in print and electronically in early 1999.

The census is a complete accounting of U.S. agricultural production and the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the Nation. The 1997 Census of Agriculture survey results will include data on land use and ownership, operator characteristics, crops, machinery and equipment, livestock, fertilizer, poultry, chemicals, market value of products, energy expenditures, irrigated land, production expenses, type of organization, farm programs, and corporate structure.

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