USDA to Conduct Survey on Iowa’s Farm Chemical Use and Production Costs

Starting in October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will initiate a comprehensive survey on crop production practices among Iowa farmers. The study is part of the 2023 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), designed to collect crucial data on technology, costs, and returns in agriculture.

Greg Thessen, Director of the Upper Midwest Regional Field Office, emphasized the importance of the ARMS survey. “This study is instrumental in tracking the adoption of technology in the production of major field crops in Iowa,” he said. “Moreover, the data will inform policymakers and industry groups about the economic factors that affect crop production.”

This year, NASS is focusing its data collection efforts on a sample of producers growing barley, oat, peanut, and soybeans across the nation. To facilitate the survey process, NASS advises farmers to have their fertilizer and pesticide application records readily available. Producers will be contacted by a NASS representative to arrange an interview for questionnaire completion. Email reminders may also be sent to those who opt for email communication.

The ARMS project comprises three phases running from May 2023 to April 2024. The initial phase was designed to screen participants to ensure they possess the relevant commodities and can provide representative data. The current phase is concentrated on collecting data on production practices, while the final stage will focus on gathering information related to production costs, farm income, and expenditures.

NASS is committed to upholding the privacy of all survey respondents, ensuring that the collected data will be utilized solely for statistical analysis. Survey responses are protected by federal law and will not be released in an identifiable form.

ARMS is a collaborative effort between NASS and USDA’s Economic Research Service. Additional information about the survey can be found on the NASS website, and analytical reports based on ARMS data can be accessed at the Economic Research Service’s website.