YOUR VOICE, YOUR FUTURE, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY Census Gives Farmers a Voice in Their Future

By Barbara Wunder, FFVA communications manager

It’s time again for Florida’s farmers and ranchers to make their voices heard and help shape the future of agriculture for years to come through the 2007 Census of Agriculture.

Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the census is a complete count of the nation’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Census forms went out in the mail recently.

The census serves as an important tool in a variety of ways. Companies and cooperatives use the information to determine the locations of facilities. Community planners use it to target needed services to rural residents. USDA uses it to determine staffing requirements. Legislators use it to determine farm policies of the future. Research money is awarded according to where the census indicates it is needed.

The ag census asks about land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures and other topics.

“The census is the only data that is collected down to the county level,” said Benjamin Klugh, Jr., director of USDA’s Office of Florida Agricultural Statistics.  “In Florida, we actually collect data on about 1,100 items. This is important because we don’t really publish very many vegetable or fruit estimates down to the county level as far as acreages, number of operators and size. And the census allows us to do this,” Klugh said.

The census questionnaire is a booklet made up of 35 short sections asking for information about land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures and other topics. It provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county, not only in Florida but the entire nation.

“When you look at the Midwest-type crops, those have very detailed surveys. Because of their magnitude, they have detailed county estimates. But when you get into fruits and vegetables, most of the time the only data we have are state-level numbers. And there are a lot of fruits and vegetables that are collected in the census that we don’t publish – even at a state level on an annual basis,” said Klugh.

“Fruit and vegetable producers are probably one of the most important groups for us to collect data from because it can be an underserved group. There aren’t that many opportunities for these producers to hold up their hands and say ‘here I am.’ ” Klugh added.

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service mailed census forms in December to collect data for the 2007 calendar year. Completed forms must be returned by Feb. 4, 2008. Producers can return their forms by mail or, for the first time, they have the convenient option of filling out the census online via a secure Web site.

Whether it’s collected electronically or via mail, all information is kept confidential. Respondents are guaranteed by law that their individual information will only be used for statistical purposes. Data is published strictly as a part of tabulated totals. The report cannot be used for taxation, investigation or regulation. Individual census records also are protected from disclosure through the Freedom of Information Act. 

“People in general will do the census. But there’s a certain group of people who think we’re from the government and this could be used against them,” Klugh said. “Back when it was done in the Congress, they released the data after 75 years, but our rules won’t even allow that. I think in general, people who don’t fill these out just have a distrust of government and they think it’s no one’s business but their own. Unfortunately, if enough of them feel that way, our industry is under-represented. Where I see it becoming critical is when research dollars are coming to the state. If we’re the biggest in various parts of these vegetable markets, then we should get the biggest share of research dollars. Places like California and Texas are all going to be vying for those same dollars,” he added.

The census is the responsibility of every farmer or rancher regardless of size or type. Even if you have a very small operation, if you receive a census form, you’re required by law to fill it out if you produced and sold -- or intended to produce and sell -- at least $1,000 worth of agricultural products during 2007.

“We’re committed to making this census the best count ever. It’s about the future of agriculture and rural communities in our state,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson. “Regardless of how large or small their operation is or what kinds of products they produce, Florida farmers and ranchers will help themselves and their communities by filling out the Census of Agriculture and returning it promptly,” he added. ”We want farmers and ranchers to know: the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future and their responsibility.”

NASS will release census data electronically and in print format beginning in February 2009. Detailed reports will be published for all counties, states and the nation.

For more information about the 2007 Census of Agriculture, please contact the NASS Florida Field Office at (407) 648-6013 or visit www.agcensus.usda.gov online.