Census of Ag & Herd Expansion

Census of Ag & Herd Expansion. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will send its forms and questionnaires for the 2012 Census of Agriculture to farmers and ranchers soon. NASS Census and Survey Division Director Renee Picanso says the data collected in the ag census helps show the value and importance of U.S. agriculture.

PICANSO: Questions on things like agri-forestry. We have an expanded renewable energy section. We also have expanded questions on equine and we have expanded questions on biomass and regional food production.

This year - the census will include familiar topics - such as the number of farms, land in farms, acreage of crops and livestock, production practices and demographic data.

CattleFax’s Randy Blach believes beef herd expansion is on its way - but maybe not until a year or two from now. Blach says the herd is still getting smaller and cattle market watchers think it will continue to shrink a little more on into 2014 and 2015 - but by January 2015 - he believes the herd will stabilize and grow - as long as it rains. Blach says these productivity increases are going to be important in feeding the growing world population.

Now here’s today’s Washington Grange report.

(Grange)

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.