Agricultural Surveys Program

	June Area Survey
United States Department of Agriculture		National Agricultural Statistics Service
		June 2007

The June Area Survey is one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys conducted each year by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). By providing an in-depth look at land uses and agricultural activities across the United States, the survey serves as the foundation for many of NASS’s other data collection and reporting activities. During the June Area Survey, NASS looks at:

• Crop acreage

• Genetically modified crop acreage

• Grain stocks

• Cattle, hog, sheep and poultry inventory

• Farm numbers

• Cash rents

• Land values

• Value of sales

HOW IS THE DATA COLLECTED?

The June Area Survey is conducted in all states except Alaska and Hawaii. During the first two weeks of June, NASS will collect data from over 35,000 producers on approximately 11,000 selected segments of land – each segment averaging roughly one square mile in size. NASS representatives will use aerial photographs, visit each segment to determine how the land is used, and conduct personal interviews with the owners/operators of any farm or ranch within the selected segment. The survey is designed to account for every acre of land and all agricultural activities and land uses within that area.

HOW IS THE INFORMATION USED?

The data collected provides the most timely, accurate and useful information on the current state of U.S. agriculture as reported by the frontline source – the producers themselves. The survey provides direct data, or is a critical component of data collection and estimation, for a host of NASS reports, including:

• Acreage (annual report published in June)

• Small Grains (annual summary published in September)

• Land Values and Cash Rents (annual summary published in August)

• Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations (annual summary published in January)

• Sheep and Goats (published in January)

• Cattle (published in January and July)

• Hogs and Pigs (published quarterly in March, June, September and December)

• Crop Production (published monthly, with annual summary in January)

• Prospective Plantings (annual report published in March)

The information provided by survey respondents is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

All reports are available through the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540.