Starting in August, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will reach out to nearly 400 farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina to gather in-depth information about the conservation practices they use.
Nearly 12,000 operators nationwide will receive the 2024 Conservation Effects Assessment Project survey. Data obtained will support the third set of national and regional cropland assessments delivered by USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), a multi-agency effort led by NRCS to quantify the effects of conservation practices across the nation’s working lands.
CEAP Cropland Assessments quantify the environmental outcomes associated with implementation and installation of conservation practices on agricultural lands. Findings are used to guide conservation program development and support conservationists, agricultural producers, and partners in making informed management decisions backed by data and science.
Specifically, CEAP results may help:
- Evaluate the resources farmers may need in the future to further protect soil, water, and habitat.
- Shed light on techniques farmers use to conserve healthy environments.
- Improve and strengthen technical and financial programs that help landowners plan and install conservation practices on agricultural land.
- Support the conservation programs that can help producers’ profits while also protecting natural resources.
Local NASS representatives will visit farmers and agricultural landowners in August and September of 2024 to determine if their operations and properties meet the criteria to be considered eligible candidates for the survey. Eligible farmers and landowners may be contacted between November 2024 and March 2025 and asked to participate in the survey. Typical questions will discuss farm production practices; chemical, fertilizer, and manure applications; tillage; irrigation use; and installed conservation practices. NASS will provide survey data to NRCS, the agency tasked with publishing findings.
Information provided to NASS and analyzed by NRCS is kept confidential, as required by federal law. The agencies only publish data in aggregate form, ensuring that no individual respondent or operation can be identified.
For more information about conservation programs available for your operation, contact NRCS at your local USDA Service Center.