USDA Extends Deadline for Producers to Complete Agriculture Census to March 15

ANNAPOLIS, MD (Feb. 11, 2013) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service has announced that it has extended the deadline for farmers to complete the Census of Agriculture until March 15. MDA strongly urges producers to complete the Census if they haven’t already.

“I want to thank everyone who completed the Census by the first deadline and stress how important it is for those who have not completed it to do so as soon as possible,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “It’s not only the law, it also gives us the information we need to develop good agriculture policy on the local, state and national level. The importance of valid information is nearly impossible to overstate.”

USDA will send another report form this month to those who did not return the Census by the February 4 deadline. If you did not have any agricultural activity in 2012, please state so on the front of the form and mail it back.

Conducted every five years, the Census provides detailed data covering nearly every facet of U.S. agriculture, including land use and ownership, production practices, expenditures and other factors that affect the way farmers and ranchers do business. Farmers and ranchers can complete their forms by mail or online by visiting a secure website, www.agcensus.usda.gov.

Any questions regarding the Census can be answered by calling the NASS Maryland office at 410-841-5740 or 800-675-0295 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

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