USDA, UOG Cooperative Extension to conduct Census of Agriculture
USDA, UOG Cooperative Extension to conduct Census of Agriculture
USDA, UOG Cooperative Extension to conduct Census of Agriculture
3/22/2024
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The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with the cooperation and assistance of the University of Guam Cooperative Extension & Outreach under the College of Natural & Applied Sciences and the Guam Department of Agriculture, has begun visiting farms to collect Census of Agriculture data from all known farmers. For this effort, a farm is defined as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, in 2023.
Typically conducted every five years, the Census of Agriculture is the most widely used source of statistics on the agriculture industry nationwide. For Guam, it provides the most comprehensive and impartial agriculture data at the island level. Federal and local governments, agribusinesses, organizations, and many more use ag census data to support funding research and programs to improve farming techniques and equipment, building infrastructure for high-speed internet, providing effective production and distribution systems as well as natural disaster preparation, response, and recovery assistance. One of the most important uses of ag census data is to justify claims of farmers who may suffer damages and losses due to natural disasters, such as typhoons.
“The Census of Agriculture is a powerful voice for Guam’s agriculture. The information gathered influences policy decisions that will have a tremendous impact on producers and their communities for years to come,” NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer said. “I strongly encourage all farmers to prepare their farm records. We need to hear from all of our farmers to provide the most accurate and helpful information about agriculture in the islands.”
The 2023 questionnaire includes an expanded list of commodities and new questions on agricultural practices to better capture changes and trends in the industry.
Responding in the ag census is required by federal law under Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113. The same law requires USDA to keep all information confidential, to use the data only for statistical purposes, and to publish the data in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation.
Guam farmers are encouraged to prepare their farm records. An enumerator will be in touch in the coming months, or farmers can call the University of Guam extension office at (671) 735-2060 to schedule a time with an enumerator.
USDA will release the U.S. territory ag census data on its website in the summer of 2025. For more information about the Census of Agriculture, visit nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.