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USDA survey measures economic well-being of farmersMissouri Farm operators will soon have the opportunity to set the record straight about the issues that affect them--and to help ensure that policies and programs are based on accurate data supplied by the farm operator. This is the goal of the annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. ARMS is USDA's primary source of information on production practices, resource use and economic well-being of America's farm households. "Just about every federal policy and program that affects U.S. farmers and farm families is based on information from ARMS," said Gene Danekas, director of the NASS Missouri Field Office. "This information is used not just by USDA and Congress, but also by universities, agribusinesses and others who make the decisions that shape the future of Missouri agriculture." For example: --When considering federal disaster assistance for producers, policymakers rely on ARMS as a source of baseline data. --ARMS provides agronomists and economists the information necessary to form the strategies to offset higher input costs. --USDA's Office of Energy Policy and New Uses relies on ARMS data to estimate farmers' annual expenses for gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane and other fuels. --ARMS provides annual cost-of-production estimates required by Congress for more than 15 commodities covered under farm-support legislation. This year's commodities are cotton and apples. --ARMS data complete USDA's estimates of net farm income and demonstrate agriculture's contribution to the gross domestic product. NASS is also conducting the 2007 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years, the Census covers virtually every aspect of U.S. agriculture at the county, state and national levels. It provides a complete count of the nation's farms and ranches and the people who operate them. To help reduce respondent burden, completing the ARMS survey will also fulfill producer's obligation of responding to the Census of Agriculture. Between Feb. 1 and April 21, the Missouri field office will contact about 1,500 farmers statewide by mail or personal interview to complete the survey. Producers will be asked to provide data on their operating expenditures, production costs and household characteristics. ARMS survey responses will be compiled and NASS will publish the farm economic data in the annual Farm Production Expenditures report, to be released on Aug. 7. As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses, ensuring that no individual producer or operation can be identified. All NASS reports are available online at: www.nass.usda.gov. 2/4/08 Date: 1/31/08 Advertisement
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