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HARRISBURG -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is encouraging potato producers and agribusinesses to respond to the Annual Potato Processing survey.
Potato processors make up a significant share of the United States economy. In recent years, the majority of potatoes grown within the U.S. were utilized for processing, and most potato exports consisted of processed potatoes. The results of this survey will be used to establish final USDA statistics about the 2022 potato crop processing for official processing states. Data collected includes the total quantity of potatoes processed as chips, frozen french fries, other frozen, starch, flour, other dehydrated potatoes, canned potatoes, and other potato products.
NASS gathers the data for the survey online, by mail, and by phone currently. "The cooperation of the potato industry is crucial to ensure that each state's potato processing data is accurately represented in national potato statistics," King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, said. "NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state and national level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified," Kevin Pautler, deputy director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, said.
NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in the Sept. 27, 2023 annual Potatoes publication. The publication will be available on the USDA-NASS website at nass.usda.gov/publications.
For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office at (800) 498-1518.
Corn and soybean acreage up in Pa.
HARRISBURG -- The U.S Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated 1.24 million acres of corn planted area in Pennsylvania for 2023, up 5% from last year, according to King Whetstone, director of the USDA's NASS, Northeastern Regional Field Office. Area harvested is estimated at 910 thousand acres, up 8% from 2022.
Following up to the Prospective Plantings report released in late spring, NASS surveyed approximately 9,100 segments of land and 63,700 farm operators during the first two weeks of June to gather information on what farmers actually planted.
Key findings released in the Acreage report include:
Soybean
• Soybean planted area for 2023 is estimated at 620 thousand acres, up 3% from 2022.
• Soybean area harvested for 2023 is estimated at 610 thousand acres, up 3% from 2022.
All Hay
• Growers expect to harvest 1.33 million acres of hay, down 1% from last year.
• Other hay is estimated at 1.03 million acres, down 1% from 2022.
• Alfalfa hay is estimated at 300 thousand acres, down 3% from last year.
Winter Wheat
• Winter wheat planted area for 2023 is estimated at 290 thousand acres, up 7% from 2022. Highest since 1976.
• Area harvested for grain is forecast at 225 thousand acres, up 7% from last year.
Tobacco
• Tobacco harvested area for 2023 is estimated at 4,860 acres, down 3% from 2022.
The 'Acreage' report and all other NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.
USDA to measure quarterly bee
colony loss
HARRISBURG -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be collecting information about colony loss in the honey industry throughout the United States. The next Quarterly Colony Loss survey will be conducted during July of 2023. This survey collects information about colony inventory and loss from around 500 producers with honeybee colonies in the Northeastern Region of the United States.
"The information from these surveys directly impacts our region's beekeepers and honey producers," King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, said. "Beekeepers and producers can use the survey results when making business plans and marketing decisions. Cooperative Extensions use the data to provide needed outreach and education and State Departments and Agencies of Agriculture use the information to set insurance values."
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.
Results of these quarterly surveys are published annually in the Honey Bee Colonies report, which will be available on August 1, 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.