Starting this month, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be reaching out to U.S. organic producers for its five-year update on the organic industry. This update is arguably the most comprehensive source of data on organic farming in the United States, with both governmental and non-governmental decision-making being heavily influenced by its findings and analyses. The most recent survey was conducted in 2015.

According to NASS, the survey will look at certified organic farming and ranching activities during 2019, including:

• Production of field crops, vegetables, fruits, tree nuts, berries, livestock and poultry;
• Production practices such as pest management, cover crops, crop rotation, rotational grazing, conservation tillage, water management and buffer zones;
• Production expenses;
• Marketing practices, including wholesale, retail and direct-to-consumer sales; and
• Value-added production and processing.

Any producer who self-reported being an organic producer in the 2017 Census of Agriculture will receive the 2019 Organic Survey in the mail and they are required to respond under federal law. This includes producers who are certified, certification-exempt, or transitioning to certified production. Individually-identifiable information is kept confidential; data is published exclusively in tabulated totals and for statistical purposes.

The response deadline is January 10, 2020, and can be submitted online, by mail, or by phone. Results will be publicly available in October 2020.

For more information about this survey, call (888) 424-7828 or visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/organic. You may also contact Western Growers staff Dennis Nuxoll or Tracey Chow at (202) 296-0191.