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HARRISBURG -- In July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey cattle operations nationwide to provide an up-to-date measure of U.S. cattle inventories.
"This information helps producers make timely, informed business decisions and plan for herd expansion or reduction. It also helps packers and government leaders evaluate expected slaughter volume for future months and determine potential supplies for export," King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, said. "Obtaining the current count of cattle will serve as an important decision-making tool for the entire agricultural industry."
NASS will mail the questionnaires to all producers selected for the survey in late June. Northeastern regional producers will have the opportunity to report their beef and dairy cattle inventories, calf crop, death loss and cattle on feed information. To ensure all survey participants have an opportunity to respond, NASS interviewers will contact producers who do not respond by mail or online to conduct interviews.
NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.
Survey results will be published in the Cattle report to be released on July 21, 2023. These and all NASS reports are available online at nass.usda.gov/Publications. For more information, call the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office at (800) 498-1518.
USDA to measure milk production
HARRISBURG -- Thousands of milk producers across the country will receive surveys from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) as the agency collects information for the 2023 Milk Production reports.
"The dairy industry is an important component of the Northeast's agriculture, and it is crucial for us to have accurate data about this key sector," King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, said.
NASS conducts the Milk Production survey in the region every January, April, July, and October. The survey asks milk producers to provide the number of milk cows in the herd, number of cows milked, and total milk production for the first day of the month.
The dairy industry relies on monthly Milk Production reports to make decisions about the marketing of milk. By participating in the survey, milk producers can ensure that NASS provides timely, accurate and useful data that all sectors of the U.S. dairy industry use to make sound business decisions.
NASS will mail the questionnaires to all producers selected for the survey in late June. To ensure all survey participants have an opportunity to respond, NASS interviewers will contact producers who do not respond by mail or online to conduct interviews.
NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.
Survey results will be published in the Milk Production report to be released on July 20, 2023. These and all NASS reports are available online at nass.usda.gov/Publications. For more information, call the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office at (800) 498-1518.
USDA fighting
or competitive markets
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Fair and competitive markets have long been the cornerstone of the American economy. Competition ensures that American farmers, ranchers, and those who grow our nation's food have the freedom to choose among different suppliers, employers, and retailers to buy and sell their product and the products they need. It spurs innovation, improves opportunities for producers and workers, and increases resiliency in the nation's food supply. For far too long, however, agriculture policy has been focused on 'get big or get out', resulting in the acceleration of corporate consolidation. This consolidation undermines economic resiliency and robust price competition. It lowers farmers' and ranchers' earnings, hamstrings their ability to compete, and limits the ability for rural economies to secure robust, self-sustaining prosperity. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic brought home to farmers, workers, and consumers the harms caused by bottlenecks in the center of America's agricultural and food systems. The pandemic exposed the risks and dangers created by many of today's production systems, which value hyper-efficiency over competition and resiliency.
USDA has taken a range of actions to tackle competition issues in agricultural markets. To address these large and complex problems as set out in our competition report, USDA is using all tools available, including working in concert with the rest of the Administration.