The Maui News

Maui County is urging farmers, ranchers and others to respond online to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Census of Agriculture.

Every five years, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts the census that provides the only source of comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the nation, according to the agency.

The federal government uses data from the census for community grant and program funding. There’s also funding available for planning, staff hiring and allocation, market assessment, decision-making, ongoing research and other resources.

“This survey will help our local farmers, ranchers and others working in agriculture to gain more resources by providing information through this census program,” Maui County Department of Agriculture Deputy Director Weston Yap said in a news release Tuesday.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service has mailed survey codes to all known agriculture producers across the 50 states with an invitation to respond to the census online at www.nass.usda.gov/agcensus/.

Those who are interested in participating and still need a survey code can visit www.agcounts.usda.gov/static/get-counted.html.

The census will be mailed in phases, with paper questionnaires sent in December. Producers need only respond once, whether online or by mail.

Farm operations of all sizes, urban and rural, that produced and sold or normally would have sold $1,000 or more of agricultural products in 2022 are included in the census.

All responses are due Feb. 6.

Responding to the Census of Agriculture is required by law. The National Agricultural Statistics Service is required to keep all information confidential, to use the data only for statistical purposes and only to publish in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation.

The agency will release the results of the census in early 2024.

For more information, contact Deputy Regional Director Shawn Clark via work cellphone at (808) 208-0186 or by email at shawn.clark@usda.gov, or contact Regional Director Gary Keough at (916) 738-6600.

Yap can be reached at the Maui County Department of Agriculture at (808) 270-8279 or via email at weston.yap@co.maui.hi.us.

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