(DES MOINES, Iowa) – As the 2024 crop production season begins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season. “Each year, the agriculture industry anticipates USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, which provides initial survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ planting intentions for the year,” said Greg Thessen, Director of the NASS Upper Midwest Regional Field Office. “The March Agricultural Survey provides the data that underpin projections, making it one of the most important surveys we conduct each year.”

NASS will mail the survey to approximately 2,300 Iowa producers on Feb. 19 asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2024, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. Producers can respond online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail. Those who do not respond by Feb. 27 may be emailed a reminder or contacted for an interview.

In accordance with federal law, NASS keeps responses confidential and publishes data in aggregate form only, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

The data will be published in the Prospective Plantings and quarterly Grain Stocks reports on Mar. 28, 2024. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications. For more information, call the NASS Upper Midwest Regional Office at 800-772-0825.