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Around 1,500 farmers in Minnesota will be asked to participate.

December 28, 2018

2 Min Read
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SURVEY REQUEST: The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service is sending surveys to about 1,500 farms in Minnesota, seeking farm financial and production information for its 2018 Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service recently began mailing reports to gather information about farm economics and production practices from farmers and ranchers across Minnesota, as the agency conducts the third and final phase of the 2018 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

“ARMS is the only survey that measures the current financial well-being of Minnesota producers and their households as a whole,” says Dan Lofthus, Minnesota state statistician. “The results of this survey will help inform decisions on local and federal policies and programs that affect Minnesota farms and farm families.”

In an effort to obtain the most accurate data, NASS will be contacting more than 30,000 producers nationwide — including 1,500 in Minnesota — between January and April.

The survey asks producers to provide in-depth information about their operating revenues, production costs and household characteristics. The 2018 survey includes a version focused on soybean costs and returns.

“We realize that this survey is lengthy, and some producers may have questions,” Lofthus says. “In February, our interviewers will begin reaching out to those farmers who have not yet responded, to answer any questions they may have and help them fill out their questionnaires.”

In addition to producing accurate information, NASS has strong safeguards in place to protect the confidentiality of all farmers who respond to its surveys, Lofthus adds. The agency will only publish data in aggregate form, ensuring the confidentiality of all responses, so no individual respondent or operation can be identified.

The expense data gathered in ARMS will be published in the annual Farm Production Expenditures report on Aug. 2. That report and others are available at nass.usda.gov. More reports based on ARMS data and more information about ARMS are available at ers.usda.gov/arms.

Source: USDA NASS Upper Midwest Field Office

 

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