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HARRISBURG -- Interviewers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will interview nearly 600 Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York fruit growers to gather information for the 2023 Fruit Chemical Use Survey this fall.
The survey will collect information on bearing acreage, pest management practices, including acres treated and application rates, and pesticide application, including acres treated and rates applied, to more than three fruit crops. In addition to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, fruit growers in nine other states will also hear from NASS as the agency collects comprehensive U.S. fruit production practices information.
"Growers benefit from providing their information because the resultant data are used to re-register products they use; the data also illustrate the industry's environmental practices and assure the quality of U.S. food to consumers here and around the world," King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office, said. "I encourage every grower to take the time to respond, if they receive this survey."
To conduct the survey, NASS representatives will call growers to arrange phone interviews. Survey respondents are encouraged to have their spray records available for reference. If these services were contracted, growers will be asked to give the interviewer consent to access these records.
NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents. The information provided will be used for statistical purposes only. In accordance with federal law, responses will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed in identifiable form.
The data from this survey will be published online in NASS's Quick Stats database next year. This database and all NASS reports are available at nass.usda.gov.