DOVER, Del. – Beginning in December, farmers in Delaware and Maryland will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the census, starting to be mailed out this week, is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches, and those who operate them.

Census data are used by all those who serve farmers and rural communities from federal, state and local governments to agribusinesses, trade associations, researchers, and many others. For example, public officials use the data when shaping farm policy, and agribusinesses factor it into their planning efforts.

“Your answers to the census impact farm programs and rural services that support your community,” said Joe Bartenfelder, Maryland Secretary of Agriculture. “Good policies and services are rooted in quality data. We want all farms counted because there’s strength in numbers that only the census can reveal,” said Michael Scuse, Delaware Secretary of Agriculture.

This year, NASS has extensively revised the online census questionnaire at www.agcounts.usda.gov to make it more convenient for producers. Farmers can either mail in their completed census form or take advantage of new time-saving features by responding online. The online system calculates totals for the producer and skips sections that do not pertain to the operation. The census response deadline is February 5, 2018, with results of the census released in 2019.

In the 2012 census, Delaware farmers reported a total of 2,451 farms, spanning over 508 thousand acres. These numbers represented four percent decrease in the number and Delaware farms from the previous census in 2007. Market value of agricultural products sold was $1.3 billion, an increase of 18 percent from the previous census for Delaware. This telling information and thousands of additional farm and ranch statistics are only available every five years, as a direct result of responses to the census.

“The census remains the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation,” said Dale P. Hawks, Maryland/Delaware State Statistician for USDA’s NASS Northeastern Region. “It’s a critical tool that gives producers a voice and opportunity to influence decisions that will shape the future of their operations, communities, and industries.”

The 2017 Census of Agriculture will collect new information including data on active service and military veteran farmers, as well as expanded questions on food marketing practices and on-farm decision-making to better capture the roles and contributions of beginning farmers, women farmers, and other involved in running the business.

For more information about the upcoming census, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call (888) 424-7828.

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Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, 302-698-4542, Stacey.Hofmann@delaware.gov

DOVER – The Kent Conservation District invites everyone to a rompin’ stompin’ good time at its 18^th Annual Barn Dance fundraiser to be held from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13 at the Harrington Fire Company, 20 Clark Street, Harrington, DE 19952. The event features a down-home meal including beef and dumplings, fried chicken, and all the fixings, plus live and silent benefit auctions, and dancing to DJ music.

Tickets are now on sale for $20 per person or $35 per couple. Tickets for children 12 years and under are $10 each, while children under two are admitted free. Reserved tables with seating for eight are available for $150, under one name and paid by one check.

Funds raised through the Barn Dance support the Delaware Envirothon, an annual competitive, problem-solving, natural resource challenge for high school students which is sponsored by DNREC. Additionally, DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship provides technical and financial assistance to Delaware’s farmers, landowners, and homeowners to protect and enhance the state’s soil and water resources, mainly through the Division’s Delaware Conservation Districts staff.

For tickets or more information, please call the Kent Conservation District at 302-741-2600 ext. 3.

Vol. 47, No. 204

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Dover, Del. – Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse is reminding farmers to complete the small grain production survey that has been sent out to nearly 300 producers by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The agency is taking a comprehensive look into the 2017 production and supply of small grains, which include wheat, oats, barley, and rye.

“The information that our farmers provide is critical to helping everyone – from fellow farmers to lawmakers to extension professionals – make decisions that will impact our industry,” said Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse. “It is critical that NASS has the most accurate data, so for Delaware farmers that have not yet completed the September Surveys, I urge you to participate.”

“The small grains industry is a big player in Delaware agriculture and it is crucial for us to have accurate data about this key sector of the economy,” said NASS Delaware State Statistician Dale P. Hawks. “The data collected from this survey will also help set small grain acreage and production estimates at the county level.”

NASS will contact Delaware survey participants to gather information on their 2017 production and the quantities of corn, soybeans, barley and wheat stored on farm. As an alternative to mailing the survey back and to help save both time and money, growers will have the option to respond to the survey securely online. Farmers who have not responded may receive a phone call from a NASS representative who will help them fill out the survey form.

NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

Survey results will be published in several reports, including the annual Small Grains Summary and the quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on September 29. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov. For more information call the NASS Delaware Field Office at (800) 675-0295.

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Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, Community Relations Officer, 302-698-4542, Stacey.Hofmann@delaware.gov

DOVER, Del. – Delaware fruit and vegetable growers can now receive financial support in obtaining a third party audit to verify they are following effective food safety practices. The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) is extending its Food Safety Audit Cost-Share Program for growers to include any third party food safety audit, not just USDA Harmonized GAP audits. With an additional $20,000 for farmers to use to offset required audit costs, DDA wants to make sure that producers are prepared for the Food Safety Modernization Act and the Produce Safety Rule.

“Throughout the past two years, we have found fewer buyers requesting produce growers to participate in the Harmonized GAP audits that USDA provides,” said Andrea Jackson, DDA Food Products Inspection Administrator. “More farmers are being required to participate in audits such as Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) schemes. Any of these audits are important in helping farmers recognize preventative measures for food safety. So we want to be more inclusive of these third party audits in our cost-share program.”

Food safety audits verify that fruit and vegetables are produced, packed, handled, and stored in the safest manner possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards. The Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Food Products Inspection Section will pay 80 percent of the cost of a USDA AMS or commercial third party food safety audit with a maximum reimbursement of $1,000 per year. In order to be eligible, producers must successfully complete a third party USDA AMS or commercial audit this year, prior to September 29, 2017.

Funding will be provided on a first come, first serve basis, but Delaware growers must fully complete the necessary application and forms, be able to show verification of successful audit completion, billing, and proof of payment for the audit. For questions regarding the Food Safety Audit Cost-Share Program, contact Andrea Jackson at (302) 698-4545 or via email at Andrea.Jackson@delaware.gov.
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Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, 302-698-4542, stacey.hofmann@delaware.gov

Dover, DE – The Delaware Department of Agriculture is urging farmers to participate in the two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey, conducted by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). NASS will survey nearly 400 farmers across Delaware to determine crop production and supply levels in 2017.

“As an $8 billion industry, agriculture plays a major role in Delaware’s economy,” said Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse. “The information that our farmers provide is critical to helping everyone – from fellow farmers to lawmakers to extension professionals – make decisions that will impact our industry. It is critical that NASS has the most accurate data, so I urge Delaware farmers to participate in the June Surveys.”

NASS gathers the data for the June Agricultural Survey online, by mail, phone and in-person interview. For the June Area Survey, agency representatives will visit randomly selected tracts of land and interview the operators of any farm or ranch on that land. Growers provide information on crop acreage – including biotech crops—as well as grain stocks, livestock inventory, cash rents, land values, and value of sales.

“Due to the widespread and significant impact of its results, the June Agricultural Survey, also known as the Crops/Stocks Survey, and the June Area Survey are two of the most important and well-known surveys NASS conducts,” explained Dale P. Hawks, State Statistician of the NASS Delaware Office. “When growers respond to these surveys, they provide essential information that helps us determine the prospective production and supply of major commodities in the United States for the 2017 crop year. 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.”

NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in a series of USDA reports, including the annual Acreage report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released June 30, 2017. Survey data contribute to NASS’s monthly and annual Crop Production reports, as well as the annual Small Grains Summary and USDA’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

All reports are available on the NASS website: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, contact the NASS Delaware Field Office at (800) 282-8685.

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Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, 302-698-4542, stacey.hofmann@delaware.gov