USDA NASS: USDA to conduct first-ever agroforestry survey

DES MOINES, IOWA – February 3, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s  (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is conducting the first-ever National  Agroforestry Survey. Data collection begins February 1 and concludes April 5, 2022. NASS will  mail the survey to approximately 1,000 farmers and ranchers in the Upper Midwest Region  states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. This survey gathers information on the five  agroforestry practices used for climate, conservation and production benefits, including  windbreaks, silvopasture, riparian forest buffers, alley cropping as well as forest farming and  multi-story cropping.  

“In this first-ever survey, ag producers have the opportunity to share the different ways  they manage valuable agroforestry resources,” said Greg Thessen, Director of the NASS Upper  Midwest Regional Field Office. “The data will inform programs and policy to benefit both the  landowners and farmers as well as the environment.”  

The survey is conducted cooperatively with the USDA National Agroforestry Center  (NAC), which is a partnership between USDA’s Forest Service and Natural Resources  Conservation Service. The NAC will release the summarized data in studies, press releases,  and publications such as highlights. Highlights will give an overview of how agroforestry  practices are used in regions across the United States.  

“Information shared directly from farmers and ranchers really is one of the best ways to  learn what works and what doesn’t in agroforestry. We will use the data to discover the most  effective, efficient and profitable ways climate-smart agroforestry practices are used, and share  what we learn in a series of research reports to benefit U.S. farmers and ranchers,” said NAC  Research Program Lead Matthew Smith.  

Producers can respond to the survey securely online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail.  The survey will take no longer than 50 minutes to complete if producers have all five  agroforestry practices on their operations. Response time will be shorter if there are fewer  practices to report. The information provided by farmers and ranchers is protected by federal  law (Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347), which keeps respondent identity, operation, and  answers confidential. For more information, visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/Agroforestry. For  assistance with the survey, please call 888-424-7828. Subscribe to Agroforestry Connection for  new agroforestry-related publications and other items of interest.