Jim Ewing
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend the first two weeks of June surveying thousands of farmers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to get a clear indication of the production and supply of major commodities for 2016. And Jim Ewing, director of the Southeast Region for NASS, says information provided by respondents is confidential by law.
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From USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service:
These surveys are among the largest and most important conducted by the USDA NASS and serves as a primary source of agricultural information. These surveys will provide accurate and reliable data about 2016 planted acreages of major crops, grain stocks, and livestock in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and the United States.
Producers rely on the survey results to make production, marketing, and investment decisions. Congress utilizes the information to design better regulations and farm programs. Industry analysts, extension agents, farm organizations, and agricultural lenders use the data in a variety of ways to directly benefit the grower.
Growers across the South will be contacted during the coming weeks to obtain data regarding their operations. These data will be collected by mail, phone, and personal interviews. Growers will also be given the opportunity to report on the Internet for selected surveys.
As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. “NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified,” stated Jim Ewing, Director of the Southern Region.
All reports are available on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Southern Regional Field Office at 1-800-253-4419.