USDA is calling on the nation's farmers and ranchers to sign up for the 2012 Census of Agriculture, ensuring that they will be counted among their peers.
USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts the census every five years.
The 2012 form will be mailed to farmers in December. NASS sent out its National Agricultural Classification Survey earlier this year to identify potential agricultural activities and determine who should receive the census form.
Producers who did not fill out the survey can sign up for the census and get more information about it online at http://
agcensus.usda.gov.
Federal law requires all agricultural producers to participate in the census. The same law also requires NASS to keep all census information confidential.
The agency safeguards the privacy of all respondents so no individual operation or producer can be identified.