Agricultural Census

The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Taken only once every five years, it looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures

The census of agriculture provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and
ranches every five years. It is the leading source of uniform, comprehensive
agricultural data for every State and county or county equivalent. Census of
agriculture data are routinely used by agriculture organizations, businesses,
State departments of agriculture, elected representatives, and legislative
bodies at all levels of government, public and private sector analysts, the
news media, and colleges and universities. census of agriculture data are
frequently used to:
� Show the importance and value of agriculture at the county, State, and
national levels;
� Provide agricultural news media and agricultural associations benchmark
statistics for stories and articles on U.S. agriculture and the foods
produced;
� Compare the income and costs of production;
� Provide important data about the demographics and financial well-being of
producers;
� Evaluate historical agricultural trends to formulate farm and rural
policies and develop programs that help agricultural producers;
� Allocate local and national funds for farm programs, e.g. extension service
projects, agricultural research, soil conservation programs, and land-grant
colleges and universities;
� Identify the assets needed to support agricultural production such as land,
buildings, machinery, and other equipment;
� Create an extensive database of information on uncommon crops and livestock
and the value of those commodities for assessing the need to develop
policies and programs to support those commodities;
� Provide geographic data on production so agribusinesses will locate near
major production areas for efficiencies for both producers and
agribusinesses;
� Measure the usage of modern technologies such as conservation practices,
organic production, renewable energy systems, internet access, and
specialized marketing strategies;
� Develop new and improved methods to increase agricultural production and
profitability;
� Plan for operations during drought and emergency outbreaks of diseases or
infestations of pests;
� Analyze and report the current state of food, fuel, and fiber production in
the United States; and
� Make energy projections and forecast needs for agricultural producers and
their communities.