Census of Agriculture, done every 5 years, will soon be mailed to farmers

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 November 2022 at 9:29 am

Photo by Tom Rivers: These bales of straw shown in mid-July are in a field by East Shelby Road in Shelby near the Millville Cemetery.

The 2022 Census of Agriculture will soon be sent to millions of producers across the 50 states and Puerto Rico. The census is done every five years to provide comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county and territory.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, says the census will be mailed in phases, starting with an invitation to respond online in November followed by paper questionnaires in December.

Farm operations of all sizes, urban and rural, which produced and sold, or normally would have sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural product in 2022 are included in the census.

The census has been collected since 1840 and conducted every five years. The census highlights land use and ownership, producer characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, among other topics.

Revisions to the questionnaire document changes and emerging trends in the industry. Changes to the 2022 questionnaire include new questions about the use of precision agriculture, hemp production, hair sheep, and updates to internet access questions. The census data is expected to be released in the spring/summer 2024.

To learn more about the Census of Agriculture, visit nass.usda.gov/AgCensus or call 800-727-9540.

The 2017 agricultural census showed farm revenues in New York totalling $5,369,212,000 in 2017. That was down slightly from the $5,415,125,000 in 2012.

In Orleans County, farm products sold for $155.3 million in 2017. That was up 3.3 percent over 5 years from the $150.3 million in 2012 for sales of fruit, vegetables, milk, livestock and other farm products. The 2012 figure was a 48.8 percent jump from the $101.0 million recorded in 2007, according to the Agricultural Census.

Agriculture is Orleans County’s leading industry. The 2017 Ag Census counts 498 farms in the county. The number of farms in the county is up from the 487 in 2012. (It was 554 in 2007.)

The top 15 counties in NYS for farm revenue in the 2017 census include:

1) Wyoming, $307.5 million

2) Cayuga: $287.9 million

3) Genesee: $234.9 million

4) Suffolk, $225.6 million

5) Wayne, $221.3 million

6) Ontario, $205.2 million

7) Steuben, $196.0 million

8) St Lawrence, 191.1 million

9) Livingston: $183.7 million

10) Onondaga, $178.4 million

11) Clinton, $167.8 million