Source: Gail Gregory, NASS-NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE, 5/2/11

With the 2011 growing season now in full swing, USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend the first two weeks of June surveying hundreds of
farmers across North Carolina to get a clear indication of the production and supply of major
commodities for the year. The information provided will be compiled into one publicly accessible
report while maintaining the confidentiality of individual farmer information.

“In March, U.S. farmers reported that they have planted or intend to plant more acres of corn,
wheat and cotton this crop season and fewer acres of soybeans. Now with most of the crop actually
in the ground, we are reaching out to producers to find out what they actually planted,” said Herb
Vanderberry, director of the NASS North Carolina Field Office.

Through two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area
Survey, NASS will gather data on what crops have been planted and what commodities are in
storage. This information will provide a comprehensive picture of how things are shaping up in 2011
for the U.S. agriculture industry. “For the agricultural survey, we contact producers by mail, phone or
personal visit. We ask them to provide information on their total acreage, acres planted to specific
commodities – including biotech varieties, and quantities of grains and oilseeds stored on-farm,” said
Vanderberry. “For the area survey, we visit randomly selected tracts of land and interview the
operators of any farm or ranch on that land. We collect information on crop acreage – including
biotech crops, as well as grain stocks, livestock inventory, cash rents, land values, and value of
sales.”

This information is a critical component of several key national reports, including the annual
Acreage report and the quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on June 30. Survey data
also contribute to NASS’s monthly and annual Crop Production reports and various other crop and
livestock-related publications, including USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
“The information collected through our mid-year surveys can help producers, suppliers,
traders, buyers, export customers and others make sound and informed business decisions, which
are especially important during these challenging economic times,” Vanderberry said. For more
information, visit www.nass.usda.gov or call the NASS North Carolina Field Office at (800) 437-8451