The United States Department of Agriculture is calling on America’s farmers and ranchers to sign up for the 2012 Census of Agriculture and to share stories about how Census data benefits them. Renee Picanso, director of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Census and Survey Division, says – census data can help us to better tell the amazing story of American agriculture, but that story will be incomplete if farmers aren’t all counted.

NASS has launched the “Share your Census Story” web page, where producers can tell how local, state and national farm services, programs and policies were shaped by Census of Agriculture data. Picanso says – sharing information about how agricultural and rural programs enhance their quality of life will help others understand the importance of Census information and encourage them to sign up and be counted.

To put together a complete list of agricultural producers, NASS has sent out the National Agricultural Classification Survey. This initial survey helps identify all potential agricultural activities in the United States and who should receive the Census form later this year. Producers who do not complete the inquiry can still sign up for the Census by visiting www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking “Be Counted – Make Your Voice Heard.”

Courtesy: NAFB News