The questionnaire asks farmers how the ag department can improve
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Starting this year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be conducting a new annual survey.
The 2020 USDA Farmer Survey is randomly polling 28,000 American farmers over the next few weeks.
The USDA started accepting responses on Aug. 6. Farmers will have about six weeks to participate in the 20-question survey. Any producer interested in taking part can do so.
Officials at the USDA hope the responses will give them insight into how the ag department can improve the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency services it provides to the U.S. ag industry.
“We want to hear from our customers so we can learn what we’re doing right and where we’re missing the mark,” Bill Northey, under secretary for farm production and conservation, said in an Aug. 7 statement. “Good data is critical to good decision-making. The more responses we receive, the better we can understand what we need to do to improve our services to America’s farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners.”
The survey is part of the President’s Management Agenda, which mandates High-Impact Service Providers (HISP) must perform assessments to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
President George W. Bush implemented the reviews during his presidency in 2001.
Federal services with “high-impact customer-facing services” are considered HISPs, the Office of Management and Budget says.
Farms.com has reached out to farmers and industry groups for comment.