United States Department of Agriculture

Hello! I am Dan Loftus, NASS State Statistician for Minnesota. As the Minnesota state statistician, I collect, promote, and disseminate agricultural statistics critical to the success of Minnesota farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness. As a farm kid chasing cows, planting sunflowers and combining spring wheat in east central North Dakota, I always knew that working in agriculture was the goal. My agricultural economics degree from North Dakota State University opened the door to a job with the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Stops at NASS office locations in North Dakota, Kentucky, Washington, D.C., and now Minnesota have added up to a rewarding 25-year career involving agriculture that continues to be challenging and rewarding. The diversity of crop and livestock agriculture in Minnesota keeps me on the road visiting farmers, speaking at industry tradeshows, and working with community and agricultural development organizations to provide the data they need.

The NASS statistical program mirrors the diversity in Minnesota agriculture and no single project illustrates that diversity like the Census of Agriculture. The upcoming 2017 Census of Agriculture will provide another detailed snapshot of what agriculture looks like at the county, state and national levels.