USDA’s Hubert Hamer Conveys How the Census of Agriculture Provides a Structure for Agricultural Decisions

While in Washington, D.C., Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to visit with USDA NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer about the Census of Agriculture.

“We have had a strong push to get more information collected online,” Hamer said. “In fact, I think we doubled the 2017 rate that we are completing online. It is a lot quicker, it is more efficient, and it helps us to get the data in a lot quicker.”

Because there are issues with broadband in some parts of the country, Hamer said paper applications are still very acceptable.

“We really prefer the internet version,” Hamer said. “We have made it a lot easier to follow, and then you don’t have to go through all of the sections. You can click through and put the data in that you have for your operation.”

Any piece of information that farmers and ranchers provide through the survey, Hamer said, is protected by law.

“It cannot be shared with any other organization,” Hamer said. “It can’t be shared within the Department of Agriculture. So, the data that they are providing us is protected, it is safe, and it is designed to help their local communities, their regions, and the state.”

The information provided for the census, Hamer said, helps with the writing of farm bills, as it is always important to have the most up-to-date information.

“We won’t have any information available until we roll out the results,” Hamer said. “We are looking at February of 2024 at this time. We will release about five million new data points at that time. So, we won’t have any preliminary information until everything is collected, analyzed, and processed on that schedule.”

The response rate in the 2017 census was 71.8 percent, Hamer said, which is an impressive response rate for a survey organization.

“We are tracking a little bit below that, but we are really pushing, and we are going to keep that data collection window open as long as we can to try and make sure that we have the best information available,” Hamer said.