Source: PRESS RELEASE, 1/2012

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will
spend the next several months contacting farmers and ranchers across the nation to conduct the
Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). The results of this survey will serve as a baseline
for numerous federal policies and programs that affect U.S. farms and farm families.

“ARMS is our primary tool for gauging the financial condition and production practices on
American farms and ranches,” said Dee Webb, Deputy Director of the NASS North Carolina Field Office.
“By participating in this survey, North Carolina farmers directly impact the decisions that affect them, their
families and their operations.”

NASS conducts ARMS jointly with USDA’s Economic Research Service. In an effort to obtain the
most accurate data, the federal agencies will reach out to nearly 35,000 producers nationwide, including
1500 in North Carolina, between late January and April 2012. The survey asks the producers to provide
data on their operating expenditures, production costs and household characteristics.

“Decision makers from all facets of U.S. agriculture will use the collective information from ARMS
to answer questions and make important decisions concerning the economic viability of American
agriculture, the rural economy and other emerging issues,” explained Webb. “That’s why it is imperative
for all farmers contacted by NASS to provide responses and help shape the future of U.S. agriculture.”
As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. NASS
safeguards the confidentiality of all responses, ensuring no individual respondent or operation can be
identified.

The economic data gathered in ARMS will be published in the annual Farm Production
Expenditures report on August 2, 2012. All NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.