Hurry to be counted in the 2017 Census of Agriculture

If you're a farmer or rancher and still haven't filled out the 2017 Census of Agriculture, you still have a few days. The official deadline to respond was Feb. 5, but the Department of Agriculture has issued an extension in hopes of getting more responses to the census, which is conducted every five years.

A National Agricultural Statistics Service official we spoke with said there is no firm ending date for the extension, but said the toll-free help line would be staffed only through April 13. In a press release, NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer encouraged farmers to respond, since the data gathered will influence important decisions about farm policy, disaster relief, insurance or loan programs, infrastructure improvements, and agribusiness setup.

You're eligible to participate in the Census of Agriculture if you own a farm that produced and sold (or normally would have sold) $1,000 or more of agricultural products in 2017. To fill out the Census of Agriculture online, click here.