The number of farmers responding to surveys from the National Agricultural Statistics Service has dropped in recent years.
Ag Web Dot Com looked into response rates after a new study from the American Statistical Association warned the reliability of U.S. economic data is at risk for several reasons. In the early 1990s, response rates for NASS crop surveys were 80 to 85 percent. By the late 2010s, response rates had fallen below 60 percent in some cases.
For a more specific example, the 2017 Census of Agriculture had a response rate of over 71 percent, while the 2022 Census had a response rate of 61 percent. Factors affecting response rates include concerns about data privacy and constraints from farmers. An increasing number of people requesting information from farmers discourages some respondents. Refusal rates are rising as well.
Lance Honig of NASS says, “It’s mostly an inability to reach people that’s increasing.”
