Just about everybody knows about the United States Census, which
is conducted every ten years by the United Sates Government to
try to get an accurate count of citizens in the United States.
But there is another census that is very important to those in
the agriculture community. The Census of Agriculture is a
complete count of America’s farms and ranches and the people who
operate them. Conducted every five years, by The United States
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agriculture
Statistics Service (NASS), the Census provides valuable
information used at the local, state, and national level to plan
for the future. In late December, the NASS will mail the 2012
Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture defines a farm
as any place that produced and sold, or normally would have
sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural products during the year.
The information collected helps the USDA work with other
organizations and rural communities to develop short-term and
long-term improvements, strategies, and