USDA to survey Virginia farmers’ planting intentions for 2017

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced Feb. 21 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct its March Agricultural Survey on more than 1,600 farmers in Virginia to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season.

“The USDA’s Prospective Plantings report provides the first survey-based estimates of farmers’ planting intentions for the year,” said Herman Ellison, NASS state statistician for Virginia. “The March Agricultural Survey provides the factual data that underpins these projections, making it one of the most important surveys we conduct each year.”

The survey is asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2017, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. NASS encourages producers to respond online or by mail. Those producers who do not respond by Feb. 27 may be contacted for a telephone or personal interview.

NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in the annual Prospective Plantings report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on March 31.

As with all NASS surveys, the results of this survey will be available in aggregate form only, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. For more information about Virginia surveys and reports, call the NASS Virginia Field Office at (800) 772-0670, or visit https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Virginia/.