Vermont Business Magazine 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 from farmers and ranchers across the Northeastern United States, as the agency conducts the third and final phase of the 2023 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).
“ARMS is the only survey that measures the current financial well-being of producers and their households as a whole,” said Kevin Pautler, deputy director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office. “The data will help inform decisions on local and federal policies and programs that affect farms and farm families in the Northeastern United States.”
To obtain the most accurate data, NASS will reach out to more than 40,000 producers nationwide, between January and April in 2024. The survey asks producers to provide in-depth information about their operating revenues, production costs, and household characteristics.
The 2023 ARMS survey includes a version of the questionnaire focused on farm costs of production and expenditures for peanut, oat, and soybean producers.
“In February, our interviewers will begin reaching out to those farmers who have not yet responded,” said Pautler. “We appreciate their time and are here to help them with the questionnaire so that their information will continue supporting sound agricultural decision-making.”
Information provided to NASS is kept confidential as required by federal law. The agency only publishes data in aggregate form, ensuring 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 26, 2024. That report and others are available at nass.usda.gov/Publications. Additional ARMS data analysis and reports are available at ers.usda.gov/ARMS.
Source: 11.6.2023. HARRISBURG, PA – USDA
