United States Department of Agriculture

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2012–The annual meeting of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics will take place in Washington, D.C. on March 29-30, 2012.  The meeting is open to the public and will take place from  8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on March 29th, and 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 30th at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C., 20024.  There will be an opportunity for public questions and comments at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 30th.

 The agenda includes a discussion of the 2012 Census of Agriculture content and outreach; how NASS statistics are used by program agencies; NASS operational efficiencies; and NASS’s National Operations Center in St. Louis, Mo. The committee will also look at ongoing NASS programs and surveys such as the Agricultural Resource Management Survey and the follow-on surveys to the 2012 Census of Agriculture

The committee advises the Secretary of Agriculture and NASS on the scope, content and timing of surveys and the every-five-year Census of Agriculture. The 20 committee members represent a broad range of agricultural disciplines and interests.  For more information about the Advisory Committee on Agricultural Statistics, visit www.nass.usda.gov/About_NASS/Advisory_
Committee_on_Agriculture_Statistics/index.php.