USDA gathering new data on certified organic agriculture
With a deadline to collect data by April 4, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is conducting the 2021 Organic Survey to gather new data on certified organic crops and livestock commodities in the U.S.
NASS is mailing the survey to all known certified organic farms and ranches within the 50 states, according to a news release. The questionnaire asks producers to provide information on acreage, production and sales, as well as production and marketing practices.
Producers can return their questionnaires by mail or complete them online at www.agcounts.usda.gov using the new Respondent Portal, according to the release.
“We continue to receive requests for updated data on organic farms, especially to measure growth in the production sector of the organic industry,” Donald Buysse, chief of the Census Planning Branch at NASS, said in the release. “According to the 2019 survey, U.S. certified-organic producers sold a total of $9.93 billion in products, up 31% over 2016. That is a significant increase, and this upcoming survey will help determine if that type of growth has been sustained.”
The report will be released on the NASS website on Dec. 15, according to the release.
The data can assist in creating new crop insurance products.
“I encourage producers to participate in this survey so we can continue to improve federal crop insurance for organic producers,” Marcia Bunger, administrator for USDA’s Risk Management Agency, said in the release. “We now offer an organic price for 84 crops, which is up from just four in 2011, due in part to the information received from this survey.
Producers’ participation in this survey will aid USDA efforts to meet the needs of our nation’s ever-expanding organic market.”
The release said information provided by respondents is kept confidential and will not be published in identifiable form, as required by federal law. For more information about the 2021 Certified Organic Survey, visit www.nass.usda.gov/organics.
