Department of Agriculture to begin surveys soon

Staff report

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will begin surveying farmland owners to measure financial impacts and challenges of land ownership.

Landowners will begin receiving forms for the survey, called Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL), by the end of December, according to a department news release.

According to the release:

• TOTAL is a part of the Census of Agriculture program, which means the response to this survey is mandatory.

• The TOTAL survey program will collect data from farm operators as well as landlords who are not farm operators to create a complete picture of farm costs, land ownership, demographic data for farm operators and landlords, and improvements made to farm land and buildings, among other characteristics.

• NASS will publish results of the TOTAL survey in its Quick Stats database in August 2015.

Information: Longino Bustillos, 1-800-530-8810