FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Sarah Roderick
Communications Assistant, New Mexico Department of Agriculture
Sroderick@nmda.nmsu.edu
Office: 575-646-1864
Jan. 25, 2023
2022 Census of Agriculture underway
Responding to census can better agriculture in New Mexico
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico producers should be on the lookout for the Census of Agriculture. During the last week of 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mailed out the 2022 Census of Agriculture to all known producers across New Mexico and the rest of the country. With agriculture being the second-largest industry in the state of New Mexico, it is crucial for producers to complete their census to better the industry for the future.
Last month, all known producers should have received a code by mail to invite them to complete the questionnaire online. This is the fastest, most efficient way to complete the questionnaire. Producers now have the option to respond by mail if they would rather physically complete the census. The census only needs to be completed once per producer. The deadline to respond is Monday, Feb. 6.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts the survey every five years. This census counts all U.S. farms and ranches and those who operate them. Even small plots of land – whether rural or urban – growing fruit, vegetables or some food animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year.
New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte encourages all producers in New Mexico to respond to the census.
“We only have this opportunity every five years, so please take the time to complete the census,” said Witte. “For farmers and ranchers in New Mexico and across the country, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future and their opportunity.”
The census highlights land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income, expenditures and other topics. The Census of Agriculture gathers information that can be used by Congress, local agribusinesses, policymakers, researchers, local governments and many others for decision-making related to the creation of funding for agricultural programs and services. The information gathered by the census can directly impact New Mexico producers and the future of the industry.
New Mexico State Statistician Margie Whitcotton said the census is the only source of uniform and comprehensive agricultural data for every state in the nation.
“The census provides the government with crucial information regarding the agriculture industry that cannot be attained from anywhere else,” said Whitcotton.
In 2017, New Mexico reported a total of 25,044 farms and ranches, spanning more than 40 million acres. This calculated a 1% increase from the previous census in 2012. Farm size also increased: for operations that are less than 10 acres, there was an 8% increase from the 2012 census. There was also an increase in young farmers and ranchers as well.
“This telling information and thousands of other farm and ranch statistics are only available every five years, as a direct result of responses to the Census of Agriculture,” said Whitcotton. “This means that all producers in the state need to fill out their census, so we can have the most complete and accurate information.”
For more information about the census, please visit the USDA website or call 1-800-392-3202.
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