Department Urges Farmers to Participate in March Planting Survey

USDA to Survey Farmers’ Planting Intentions for 2019

ANNAPOLIS, MD – As the 2019 crop production season begins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact Maryland producers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season. This data will be used for the agency’s annual Prospective Plantings report.

“NASS surveys produce the most credible agricultural data available,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “The information obtained by this current survey helps to inform everyone from farmers to lawmakers and will surely have an impact on the agriculture industry. I urge all Maryland farmers to participate in the survey so we can make sure that everyone is working with the most accurate data possible.”

NASS will mail the survey questionnaire in February, asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2019, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. NASS encourages producers to respond online or by mail. Those producers who do not respond by the deadline may be contacted for a telephone or personal interview.

“Each year, the agriculture industry eagerly awaits USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, which provides the first survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ planting intentions for the year,” said NASS’ Maryland/Delaware State Statistician Dale P. Hawks. “The March Agricultural Survey provides the factual data that underpins these projections, making it one of the most important surveys we conduct each year.”

NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

Survey results will be published in the Prospective Plantings and quarterly Grain Stocks report to be released on March 29, 2019. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/publications. For more information, call the NASS Maryland field office at 800-675-0295.

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