NASS-CO: USDA TO GAUGE FINANCIAL WELL-BEING OF MOUNTAIN REGIONAL FARMERS AND RANCHERS

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – December 19, 2019 – Beginning in late December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend several months gathering information about farm economics and production practices from farmers and ranchers across the mountain region states of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as the agency conducts the third and final phase of the 2019 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

“ARMS is the only survey that measures the current financial well-being of our regional producers and their households as a whole,” said Bill Meyer, Director, Mountain Regional Field Office. “The results of this survey will help inform decisions on local and federal policies and programs that affect our farms and farm families.”

In an effort to obtain the most accurate data, NASS will reach out to more than 30,000 producers nationwide between the months of December to April. The survey asks producers to provide in-depth information about their operating revenues, production costs, and household characteristics. The 2019 survey includes versions focused on barley, cotton, and sorghum sector costs and returns.

“In February, our interviewers will begin reaching out to those farmers who have not yet responded,” said Meyer, “We appreciate their time and are here to help them with the questionnaire so that their information will continue supporting sound agricultural decision-making.”

In addition to producing accurate information, NASS has strong safeguards in place to protect the confidentiality of all farmers who respond to its surveys. The agency will only publish data in an aggregate form, ensuring the confidentiality of all responses and that no individual respondent or operation can be identified. The expense data gathered in ARMS will be published in the annual Farm Production Expenditures report on July 31, 2020.

That report and others are available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.

More reports based on ARMS data and more information about ARMS are available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/arms.

For state specific questions please contact:

Arizona – Dave DeWalt 1-800-645-7286

Colorado – William R. Meyer 1-800-392-3202

Montana – Eric Sommer 1-800-835-2612

New Mexico – Longino Bustillos 1-800-530-8810

Utah – John Hilton 1-800-747-8522

Wyoming – Rhonda Brandt 1-800-892-1660