USDA seeks info from organic growers for 5-year update
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be asking more than 22,000 producers of organic products — everything from fresh produce to meat and dairy — about aspects of their operations, from production to marketing.
The survey, from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, will be mailed to producers in December, for the department’s five-year update on organics.
Any producer who self-reported being an organic producer in the 2017 Census of Agriculture will receive the 2019 Organic Survey, according to a NASS news release, and they are required to respond.
"The latest Census of Agriculture results show continued interest in organic agriculture among consumers, producers, and businesses,” NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer said in the release. “NASS produces the most comprehensive source of data on organic farming in the United States.”
Hamer said informed decisions about federal organic programs start with information from producers.
Individual information from the surveys is kept confidential, according to the release.
The response deadline is Jan. 10, and respondents are asked to reply through the NASS website.
For more information, see the NASS Organic Survey site.
Results will be available in October 2020, according to the USDA.
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