The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service plans to survey corn and potato producers on their production practices during the months of October and November.

The Agricultural Resource Management Survey serves as the primary source of information on the use of crop protection chemicals, ensuring that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other regulators use real-world data when making decisions about the future availability of these products, said Dan Lofthus, Minnesota NASS Field Office state statistician.

INPUT SOUGHT: The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service is asking corn and potato producers about their production practices so that the U.S. EPA can use real-world data to make decisions about crop protection chemicals.

“The survey results help agricultural leaders and decision-makers better understand how producers cope with risk, adapt to policy changes and make decisions about chemical use, new technologies and many other aspects of farming,” he says.

Data will be collected from 300 corn producers and 100 potato producers in Minnesota. NASS representatives will be conducting in-person interviews with producers to gather data on their chemical use, pest management and other practices used for corn and potato production.

The survey data collected also are beneficial to farmers, Lofthus adds.

“Your participation in [the survey] ensures that decisions affecting you, your family, your business and your community are based on the facts, straight from the source,” he says. Early next year, NASS will follow up with some of the participants to obtain additional economic data.

As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by federal law, Lofthus says. NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

The results of the ARMS will be released on NASS’s website at nass.usda.gov on May 12.

Source: Minnesota NASS Field Office