News Release

Contact: Sue King, (202) 690-8122 sue.king@nass.usda.gov

USDA to Hold Expert Panel Meeting on Publication of Farm Operator Demographics
Public Comments Welcomed

WASHINGTON, Apr. 20, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announces a public meeting of an expert panel to consider questions surrounding publication of farm operator demographic data obtained through the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The panel meeting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16 and Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6309, South Building, Washington, DC.

The expert panel will consider a number of questions about NASS’s publication of 2017 Census of Agriculture farm operator demographic data including:

  • What demographic data will NASS publish on persons involved in making decisions for the farm or ranch operation?
  • What new tables and data presentations are needed to publish data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture decision-making questions?
  • How does NASS address publications in light of the specific change from single principal operator in previous censuses of agriculture to multiple persons responsible for decisions in the 2017 Census of Agriculture?

There will be an opportunity for public comment beginning at 9:15 a.m. on May 16, 2017; however, the meeting is closed to the public on May 17. Pre-registration at least 10 days in advance of the meeting is requested by e-mail at hq_rdd_od@nass.usda.gov or by mail USDA/NASS, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 6035, South Building, Washington, DC 20250–2001.

Additional information about the meeting and providing oral or written comment is available in the Federal Register Notice published on April 20, 2017. For more information, contact Linda J. Young, Director, Research and Development Division, telephone 202-690-0027, eFax: 855-593-5472, or email: hq_rdd_od@nass.usda.gov.

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NASS is the federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. agriculture and is committed to providing timely, accurate and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay).