ALEXANDRIA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will mail out surveys on Friday, Feb. 17 to find out what farmers plan to plant this spring.
Each year, the department's National Agricultural Statistics Service contacts producers nationwide about their plans. In a news release, Minnesota State Statistician Dan Lofthus said the agriculture industry relies on the results and called it "one of the most important surveys we conduct each year."
The surveys will be mailed to 3,000 Minnesota producers asking not just which crops they intend to plant, but how many acres and the amount of grain and oilseed stored on their farms. Producers can respond online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail. Those who do not respond by February 27 may be emailed a reminder or contacted for an interview.
The statistics service keeps responses confidential, and published date does not identify individual operations or producers, according to federal law. The data will be published in the Prospective Plantings and quarterly Grain Stocks reports on March 31, available at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications . For more information, call the NASS Minnesota Field Office at 651-728-3113.
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