The confidential crop survey from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be arriving in the mailboxes of Southern farmers soon, and it is very important that recipients take the time to complete it.
The number of farmers completing the confidential NASS crop survey has been declining in recent years—and that’s bad news for farmers. This is bad news for farmers as results of the confidential NASS crop survey play a key role in determining the implementation of farm payments and programs, including the Agriculture Risk Coverage Program (county option), Price Loss Coverage Program and even farm appraisals.
If NASS does not receive an adequate number of farmer-completed surveys from a certain county, it must use other less reliable sources of data to calculate actual production in that county. The downward trend in farmer-completed surveys has led to the inability of NASS to publish reliable data in numerous counties across the country. If this continues, NASS may not be able to publish this data for many counties at all.
For example, county-specific yield data is the basis for the ARC program yield guarantee calculations. If there are not enough completed surveys, farmers in your county may receive payments less than the amount that should be delivered.
Farm programs and payments are too important to rely on third-party sources and best guesses. That’s why it’s so very important that farmers provide their information. This is about farmers’ bottom lines. By taking the time to complete the confidential NASS crop survey, growers can play an active role in ensuring fair implementation of farm programs in their counties.
Please complete the confidential NASS crop survey. Help make sure that farm programs are fair—because the facts are coming from real farmers, just like you.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.