Georgia agricultural officials are urging Georgia farmers to
respond to the surveys many will receive in early June. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics
Service will be surveying farmers to gather crop information.
“If we speak up and answer the questions about the 2002 crop
season, we can help reduce uncertainty in the agricultural
marketplace,” said Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy
Irvin.
The Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service will conduct the
survey. A representative will contact farmers between May 30 and
June 16. Some farmers will be chosen from sampled areas of land
identified on aerial photos.
This survey is vital because it will provide the first clear
indications of the potential production of major crops in 2002,
said Dave Abbe, the GASS state statistician.
The information gathered is widely used. Farmers base production,
marketing and investment decisions on it. Industry analysts,
extension agents and farm groups use it in a number of ways.
“We safeguard the confidentiality of survey responses,” Abbe
said. “Information from individual operations is combined with
other responses to provide the needed data.”
All NASS statistics, including the June 28 acreage report, are on
the Web at www.usda.gov/nass/. For more
information, call 1-800-253-4419.
