USDA Set to Conduct Planting Intentions Survey

It’s almost time for the USDA to send its annual Prospective Plantings survey forms to crop growers across the country. The agency plans to question many of the nation’s farmers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season, including over 2,000 producers in Wisconsin.

“Each year, the agriculture industry eagerly awaits USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, which provides USDA’s first survey-based estimates of farmers’ planting intentions for the year,” said State Ag Statistician Greg Bussler. “The March Agricultural Survey provides the factual data that underpins these projections, making it one of the most important surveys we conduct each year.”

NASS will mail the survey in late February, asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2017, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. NASS encourages producers to respond online or by mail.

Producers who do not respond by the deadline may be contacted for a telephone or personal interview. The USDA will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in the annual Prospective Plantings report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on March 31.

Information provided by respondents is confidential.