TRAVERSE CITY -- The agricultural season is winding down in northern Michigan, but the research is only beginning.
Hundreds of area farmers will receive agricultural surveys in December from the Michigan Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The primary survey is the 2009 County Agricultural Production Survey, or CAPS report, so state agriculture officials can establish final yearly statistics and estimates on crop acreage, yields and production.
Statewide, the USDA surveys about 7,300 farmers and growers for the CAPS report. The data is used to compile county-based reports on what farmers are planting and growing so farm-related businesses like food processors, farm suppliers, exporters and banks can track the state's agricultural trends.
The information also is used to establish production benchmarks for crop insurance programs, so state and federal officials know when adverse weather or other factors will limit crop yields.
"These are very important for crop insurance," said Dan Ledbury, a USDA agricultural statistician. "We want that to be as accurate as possible."
Farmers can respond through the Internet and regular mail. Some will be contacted by telephone and others come from personal visits by USDA staff. Individual data is kept confidential and only summarized by county, and used to establish county, state and national estimates of crop production and livestock inventories. The county level estimates will be released in February for small grains, and in March for next year's corn and soybean crop projections.
Ledbury said the state tries to get at least an 80 percent response rate from farmers to compile as much data as possible.
"We don't always make it, but we try," he said.
Other state surveys that go out in December include the quarterly pig and hog survey, and for winter wheat and rye. More information on the process is available by calling 1-800-453-7501 or on the Web at www.nass.usda.gov
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