NASS United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

National

Agricultural

Statistics

Service

USDA’s 

National Agricultural 

Statistics Service

An Evolving Statistical Service 

for American Agriculture
 U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s 

A

American agriculture is continually counted, measured, 

priced, analyzed, and reported to provide the facts 

needed by people working throughout this vast industry. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s 

(NASS) mission is to provide timely, accurate, and 

useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture. The abundance of information produced has earned for NASS 

employees the title, “The Fact Finders of Agriculture.”

Participating in the factfinding process are thousands 

of producers and agribusinesses that are the source of 

NASS reports. This widespread voluntary participation 

in surveys, supplemented by crop observations and 

measurements, makes NASS a statistically sound, reliable, and frequently quoted source of agricultural data.

The agency was originally started in 1863 for the purpose of providing general production information to 

those interested in agriculture, chiefly on an annual 

basis. Today, NASS issues about 425 statistical reports 

from its Headquarters each year. Its State statistical 

offices issue some 9,000 reports and news releases 

annually, highlighting or expanding on information 

in the national reports, and the agency conducts and 

releases the Census of Agriculture every 5 years.

The reports cover virtually every facet of U.S. 

agriculture, including:

• Production and supplies of food and fiber

• Prices received and paid by farmers

• Farm labor and wages

• Farm income and finances

• Chemical use

• Demographic data

One can look back over the early history of agriculture 

and learn that without the regular updating of crop 

and livestock statistics, the usual consequences were 

that producers did not adequately share in the profits, 

especially during times of production shortages. NASS’s 

services have expanded over time to prevent reoccurrences when there lacked sufficient information for an 

orderly flow of goods and services among agriculture’s 

production, processing, and marketing sectors.

When agricultural statistics make the media’s headlines, 

the casual observer may not take note of the agency 

behind the scenes. The focus is usually on the latest 

official statistics that help to minimize the uncertainties 

and risks associated with the production and marketing 

of commodities. NASS reports are often used directly 

and indirectly by farmers, producer organizations, agribusinesses, researchers, policymakers, and government 

agencies. While the link between NASS’s services and 

the benefits may not always be well connected, NASS’s 

responsibilities will continue to evolve to meet the 

needs of agriculture and the Nation.

Welcome to USDA’s 

National Agricultural Statistics Service Fact Finders for Agriculture

NASS customer service center provides information and 

assistance to the public and data users on NASS’s hundreds of 

reports and the Census of Agriculture

NASS Photo Librar
U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s S 

U

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has 

been an evolving organization that has had expanded 

responsibilities and different names since its origination. 

For clarity, only the current name is used throughout 

this publication.

The history of collecting data on U.S. agriculture dates 

back as far as President George Washington, who 

kept meticulous statistical records describing his own 

and other farms. Concerns about what crops to plant 

and how to ensure a bountiful harvest dominated the 

agricultural scene.

First Survey. In 1791, President Washington wrote to 

several farmers requesting information on land values, 

crops, yields, livestock prices, and taxes. Washington 

compiled the results on an area extending roughly 250 

miles from north to south and 100 miles from east 

to west which today lies in Maryland, Pennsylvania, 

Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, 

where most of the young country’s population lived. In 

effect, Washington’s inquiry was the first agricultural 

survey and report.

First Agricultural Census. In 1839, Commissioner of 

Patents Henry Ellsworth prevailed upon Congress to 

designate $1,000 for “carrying out agricultural investigations, and procuring agricultural statistics.” Then, in 

1840, detailed agricultural information was collected 

through the first Census of Agriculture, which provided 

a nationwide inventory of production. Using the census information as a benchmark, Ellsworth used other 

annual data to make agricultural estimates for each year 

between the 10-year census cycle.

Mechanization Advances Agriculture. One of the 

greatest advances made in agriculture during the early 

1800s was the shift from human-powered to oxen- and 

horse-powered labor-saving machines. Innovations 

such as steel plows, iron harrows, grain drills, corn 

and cotton planters, cultivators, reapers, and threshing machines improved production and saved labor. 

Railroads provided quicker and easier transportation 

and helped tame the West as hundreds of thousands of 

settlers migrated to the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains 

and West Coast. Driving the demand for more food and 

fiber was increasing exports and the growing populations in America’s towns and cities.

Early History o

 Agricultural Statistics

Loading corn shucks.

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1791 1803 1839 1840

President George Washington’s

agricultural survey

Louisiana Purchase Congress funds agricultural

surveys

First Census of Agricultur
 U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s 

King Cotton’s Political Role. The Nation’s most prominent export crop for decades leading up to the Civil 

War (1861-1865) was cotton. Senator James Hammond 

of South Carolina boasted:

“Without the firing of a gun, without drawing a 

sword, should they [Northerners] make war upon us 

[Southerners], we could bring the whole world to our 

feet. What would happen if no cotton was furnished 

for three years? . . . England would topple headlong 

and carry the whole civilized world with her. No, you 

dare not make war on cotton! No power on earth 

dares make war upon it. Cotton is King.”

During the early days of the war, when the Union 

blockade was still too weak to be very effective, the 

Confederate government itself prohibited the export of 

cotton in order to seek British and French intervention.

Homestead and Land Grant Acts. As Civil War casualties mounted, the American public’s morale declined. 

To counteract that development, two popular pieces of 

legislation were passed:

• The Homestead Act of 1862 granted 160 acres of 

government land free of charge to any person who 

would farm it for at least 5 years.

• The Morrill Land Grant Act offered large amounts 

of the Federal Government’s land for States to sell 

to fund establishing “agricultural and mechanical” 

colleges.

USDA and Division of Statistics Established. In 1862, 

President Abraham Lincoln established the USDA, 

which he called “The People’s Department.” Trade and 

commodity buyers had more current and detailed market information than did the isolated farmers, which 

prevented farmers from getting a fair price for their 

goods. The new agricultural statistics program would 

provide sellers and buyers equal information.

With the Civil War well underway, answers to questions 

about crop production and livestock inventories were of 

vital importance in the strategy to supply the armies. In 

1863, USDA established a Division of Statistics, where 

NASS traces its roots. On July 10, 1863, the first monthly 

report covering the condition of the crops was issued 

with a promise that a similar report will be issued on 

the tenth of every month. That was an ambitious goal 

considering the many difficulties—irregularities in the 

mail service, lack of experience in tabulation, compiling weather data, and including foreign statistics. Later, 

the reports included information about the number 

and condition of livestock, including the presence of 

hog cholera.

Cotton gin, Madison County, Alabam

USDA seal adopted 1895.

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1861 1862 1863 1863

Civil War begins USDA established Division of Statistics

established

Monthly Crop Reports beg
U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s S 

From Civil War Shortages to Post-War Excesses. The 

relatively high wartime agricultural prices collapsed in 

the following decades. The September 1866 Monthly 

Report stated that Texas was swarming with cattle 

that had accumulated because of the lack of markets 

during the war.

“Immense numbers of cattle are already collected for 

driving or shipping to a market. It has been estimated 

that $1 million worth of stock is ready to go to market 

from Texas at the present time. Beeves (old English 

plural for beef) may be had for $15 per head and 

steers at $4 to $5.”

Texas longhorn cattle were driven along the Chisholm 

Trail, the major route north. The cattle boom accelerated settlement of the Great Plains and sometimes 

fueled range wars between farmers and ranchers.

The amount of land under cultivation between 1870 

and 1890 expanded from 408 million to 840 million 

acres. New machines such as the steam tractor were 

introduced. With larger acreages and better machinery, 

the production of corn, wheat, cotton, tobacco, and 

other crops continued to increase tremendously. Factors 

other than surplus production that kept agricultural 

profits low included increasing transportation costs, 

a restricted supply of currency, and an unrestrained 

international market.

More Farm Tenants. After the Civil War, sharecropping in the South replaced the slave plantation system. 

Between 1880 and 1900, tenant farmers increased from 

25 to 35 percent of all farmers. It was especially high 

throughout the South where hundreds of thousands 

of farmers had little prospect of ever owning a farm or 

making a decent living. The 1900 Census showed agricultural workers earned an average of $260 annually 

compared to $622 for nonagricultural workers.

Farmer preparing cropland.

Farmer and wife sharpening ax.

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1865 1867-1872 1865-1890

Civil War ends: 620,000 killed in battle,

disease killing twice as many.

Chisholm Trail cattle drives Sod houses become popular on th

prairies
 U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s 

Expanding Corps of Reporters. The earliest statistical 

work was based on schedules completed by thousands 

of voluntary reporters consisting of county correspondents, township correspondents, individual farmers, 

special cotton correspondents, bankers, and merchants. 

Field Agents reported for territories covering several 

States. One of the duties of the part-time State Statistical 

Agents was to recruit a corps of knowledgeable correspondents.

Dispersion of Agricultural Statistics Broadened. 

Under the leadership of Chief Statistician John Hyde in 

1897, new ways were developed to keep farmers more 

quickly informed of the latest agricultural conditions so 

they would not be fleeced by speculators. The Western 

Union Telegraph and Postal Telegraph Cable companies transmitted reports to the press and commodity 

exchanges. Abbreviated reports were printed on cards 

and mailed to 77,000 post offices for public display. 

Details of all reports released during a month were 

included in the 8-page monthly Crop Reporter mailed to 

more than 100,000 interested parties.

President Theodore Roosevelt Promotes 

Competition and Agriculture. Following the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901, 

President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt took office to 

restrain monopolies, promote economic competition 

at home and abroad, and protect consumers. During 

the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt had seen more 

troops lost from spoiled canned meats and disease than 

enemy fire. The following landmark legislation passed 

during Roosevelt’s administration:

• Pure Food and Drug Act prohibited the sale of 

fraudulent labeled foods and drugs.

• Meat Inspection Act required sanitary regulations 

and inspections in meat packing facilities.

• Conservation laws created Federal irrigation projects, 

national parks and forests.

The Nation’s agriculture was settling into regional patterns. Northeast producers concentrated on dairying, 

poultry raising, and producing fruits and vegetables 

for the growing urban markets. Midwest farms raised 

corn, oats, and barley, which supported 

the thriving hog and cattle production. 

The Great Plains, stretching from Texas to 

Canada, became the country’s breadbasket 

with wheat production, supplemented by 

a strong livestock economy. On the West 

Coast, wheat was the principal grain, 

but fruits, vegetables, and nuts were also 

valuable crops.

Alabama family living in 

one room log house.

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1874 1881 1888 1902-1908 1906 1906

Georgia sets up

the first State 

Department of 

Agriculture

Hybridized corn

produced 

The first long haul shipment

of a refrigerated freight car 

was made from California to

New Yo

Conservation

laws passed

Pure Food and 

Drug Act passed 

Meat Inspection

Act passed
U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s S 

Scandal Results in the Agricultural Statistics Board 

(ASB). Prior to 1905, only three employees were delegated a great deal of responsibility for the crop forecasts. 

There were allegations that advanced knowledge of the 

forecasts was leaking out, despite the fact that the room 

where the final estimates were prepared was always 

locked until the official release time.

Unfortunately, the allegations proved to be true. An 

employee, E.S. Holmes, Jr., connived with New York 

cotton speculator Louis Van Riper to use advance information about the cotton crop for personal gain. Holmes 

used a system of subtly adjusting a window shade to 

signal to his accomplice outside whether the production forecast would be above or below a predetermined 

benchmark number. The scheme collapsed in June 1905 

when after Holmes had made his signal, the co-workers 

decided another review was necessary and the cotton 

forecast was changed. Van Riper, who had already acted 

on the early signal, lost about $25,000 in trading that day.

In retaliation, Van Riper made an allegation that the 

June agricultural report had been falsified and boasted 

how he had access to the information ahead of time. 

Holmes was dismissed and fined $5,000—the maximum allowed by law at the time. President “Teddy” 

Roosevelt, thoroughly outraged by the affair, and 

James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture, asked the 59th 

Congress to pass appropriate legislation to make premature disclosure of agricultural statistical reports a 

criminal offense.

The scandal had the positive impact of changing the 

way the agency did business. The Crop Reporting 

Board (now called the Agricultural Statistics Board) 

was created and its responsibilities extended beyond 

physical security of the data to doing more detailed 

analysis by commodity experts. The Board would 

evolve to include a permanent chairperson and secretary, State and field agents, and numerous other USDA 

staff members chosen to participate in the preparation of a specific report based on their knowledge of a 

particular commodity or issue.

Victor Olmstead, Chief Bureau of Statistics 1906-1907, 1909-1

Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Willet M. Hays signs

an official statistical report, in 1910, as members of the 

Crop Reporting Board obser

Special Collections, National Agricult

Special Collections, National Agricult

1900-1910 1908 1909

George Washington Carver finds ne

uses for crops

Model  Ford paves the way for mass

production

Laws passed making premature disclosure 

of crop estimates a crime
 U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s 

Golden Age of Agriculture. Between 1900 and the 

end of World War I, the demand for farm commodities increased, land values rose, and during part of the 

period, farm prices went up faster than nonfarm prices. 

The first two decades of the twentieth century became 

known as the golden age of American agriculture.

State Offices Established. In 1914, State Statistical 

Agents became full-time employees with an annual 

salary averaging $1,740, but had to secure office space 

without funds for rent. Frequently, the postmaster in 

the headquarters town provided a room and a desk, but 

some agents worked from their homes. Often the agent’s 

family members were pressed to help with mailing the 

monthly questionnaires and tabulating the returns by 

hand. By 1917, addressing machines, envelope sealers, 

mimeographs, and telephones became common. Also, 

a number of Federal-State cooperative agreements 

were signed to share staff, eliminate confusion caused 

by conflicting reports, halt duplication of effort, and 

reduce costs.

World War I Demands for More Statistics. World 

War I created an urgent demand for statistical information on practically all phases of agriculture. The War 

Trade Board, the War Industries Board, the Military 

Intelligence Office, and other departments of Federal 

and State Governments requested expanded information about production, consumption, surpluses and 

deficiencies, commodity prices, and prices paid for 

equipment, machinery, and supplies. Following the 

armistice in 1918, the estimation program had doubled 

as the U.S. took on the position as the food basket for 

war-torn Europe.

Post World War I Recession. Farm prices had been 

high during World War I because of European demand 

and government price fixing. By 1920, the European 

demand dropped and farm prices were determined by 

a free market. The urban economy was strong between 

1922 and 1929, but agriculture did not share in the 

Nation’s general prosperity. Farm income increased 

from $10 billion annually in 1919 to about $44 billion 

in 1921, and then plummeted and leveled off at about 

$7 billion a year from 1923 through 1929.

Comptometer, a mechanical calculator

NASS office at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C.—1910

Special Collections, National Agricult

NASS Photo Librar

1914 1910-1925 1916 1919

Established Extensio

Service 

Road building accompanies increased

use of automobiles

Federal Farm Loan Act 

enacted

World War  end
U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s S 

New Procedures to Measure Agriculture’s Changes. 

The 1921 hog production was marketed without adequate data to predict an impending short supply. When 

the prices packers were willing to pay soared, farmers 

did not benefit because they had sold at the customary 

low prices. This revelation led to the agency developing 

more sophisticated livestock analysis and reports. To 

expand the amount of hog data, a cooperative agreement was signed with the postal service. Rural mail 

carriers left a card of inquiry in every tenth mailbox 

on their route. Additional information from livestock 

buyers, railroad records of shipments, and inspection 

records led to the development of annual balance sheets 

of number born, number shipped, slaughtered, and 

death losses.

Over time, statisticians’ cars were equipped with crop 

meters. A crop meter was mounted on the car’s dashboard and connected to the speedometer. The device 

had numerous keys that 

the statistician operated 

as he drove down country roads. When the car 

was abreast of a field of 

corn, the corn key was 

depressed. If the next field 

was cotton, the cotton key 

was depressed, and so on 

for other crops or land 

use. This device provided 

the first objective measurement of the trends in 

crop acreage from year 

to year.

Better Machinery and Science Advance Agriculture. 

Agriculture continued to make strides through 

advances in technology and the application of science 

to farming. The gasoline tractor, smaller and more 

versatile than the steam tractors, came into use in the 

1920s and 1930s. The development of bigger and better machines, like the grain combine harvester and 

the mechanical cotton picker, continued to reduce the 

amount of labor needed in agriculture. New seed corn 

hybrids improved yields.

The Great Depression. Disaster struck with the stock 

market crash of October 1929, which touched off the 

longest and most severe depression the Nation ever 

experienced. Prices received by farmers declined and by 

1932 had plummeted to the lowest level since 1899. The 

price of wheat dropped from a previous high of $2.16 in 

1919 to a low of 29 cents a bushel in 1931 and 1932. From 

1929 to 1933, farm income dropped 55 percent.

Farm Worker in Pinal County, AZ

Survey statistician operating 

a crop meter.

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1920s 1921 1928

Smaller versatile tractors 

introduced 

Radio broadcasts begin Future Farmers of America

established
10 U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s 

Roosevelt’s New Deal Legislation. In 1933, the 

Depression continued its toll on banks that could not 

collect their loans or meet the demands for withdrawals. Nearly 11,000 banks failed before newly elected 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt stemmed the tide with 

his New Deal legislation, which included establishing 

the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to 

insure individual deposits. Other legislation passed to 

ease the rural crisis:

• The Federal Farm Loan 

Act consolidated all 

farm credit programs 

into the Farm Credit 

Administration to make 

low-interest loans.

• The Commodity Credit 

Corporation was established to make loans to 

corn and cotton farmers 

against their crops so they 

could hold them for higher prices.

• The Farm Bankruptcy Act allowed farmers to defer 

foreclosure while they obtained new financing.

• The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams 

to stop flooding and soil erosion, improve navigation, 

and generate hydroelectric power. It also conducted 

demonstration projects for farmers and engaged in 

reforestation.

Agricultural Production Reduction Programs. 

Following a conference in Washington, D.C., of farm 

leaders, the Agriculture Department drafted the 1933 

Agricultural Adjustment Act. The legislation would pay 

subsidies to producers to reduce production, with the 

goal of restoring agricultural prices at a level that would 

give agricultural commodities the same purchasing 

power as during pre-Depression years. The programs 

would also encourage soil conservation and subsidize 

exports. These market and environmental goals continued on in subsequent “Farm Bill” programs and exist to 

this day.

Agricultural Statistics for Farm Programs. The new 

programs had a permanent impact on the future of the 

crop and livestock estimating work. Everyone agreed 

that the agency’s official State and county crop and 

livestock numbers would be the base of the allotment 

program, because it would take too much time to do an 

up-to-date census.

Under this program, the 1933 cotton acreage was drastically reduced by 10 million acres as farmers plowed 

under about one-fourth of the crop. In 1934, farmers 

planted between 55 and 65 percent of their county base 

acreage. The Corn-Hog program required growers 

to reduce their acreage and hog inventory by at least 

25 percent. Ultimately, commodity reduction programs 

did result in price increases, but tenants and sharecroppers were displaced when landowners took land 

out of cultivation.

County Supervisor

conferring with a 

farmer—1936.

Farmers having an informal discussion.

A farmer meticulously 

reviews his accounts.

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1932-1936 1930s 1930s 1934

Drought and Dust Bowl

conditions

First Federal assistance to 

school lunch program

Farm-to-market roads 

emphasized in federal road 

building

Rural Electrification Administratio

(REA) formed to expand electricit

to rural areas 
U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s S e

Statistics for Drought Assessment. To add to the 

Depression woes of low prices, a severe and prolonged 

drought in the 1930s covered the Corn Belt and southern Great Plains. In 1934 the average corn yield of 16 

bushels per acre was the lowest on record. Conditions 

improved somewhat in 1935, but 1936 was almost a 

duplicate of 1934. In large areas, crops were wiped out 

and pasture conditions were critical, creating a problem of saving livestock. 

Weekly and semi-monthly 

reports were called for to 

answer questions about 

how much feed was available and where and how 

many cattle and hogs were 

involved. The Drought 

Relief Act appropriated 

disaster-type loans to 

farmers for planting crops 

or feeding livestock, but 

in actual practice some of 

the money went for family 

living expenses.

World War II Challenges the Nation. World War II 

erupted in Europe in 1939, and the U.S. officially 

entered the war in 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl 

Harbor. The mobilization of the U.S. economy during 

the war resulted in new economic priorities and forced 

the U.S. economy out of the prolonged depression; the 

period from 1940 to 1944 witnessed the largest expansion in industrial production in U.S. history. The war 

period was difficult for the agency when many experienced statisticians were drawn into the armed services.

Agricultural Data for Resource Rationing. During 

the wartime, rationing became a way of life—stamp 

books were required for meat, sugar, coffee, shoes, rubber, auto parts, and gasoline. Special farm surveys were 

required to estimate the number of tractors on farms, 

requirements for repair parts, and need for steel for 

farm implements. This information helped prioritize 

distribution of raw materials. Two examples of highly 

valued reports included the agency’s weekly butter and 

cheese reports and farm labor supply reports.

Spreading grasshopper bait 

in Oklahoma—1937

Machinery buried by blowing soil—1936.

Gas and tire rationing necessitated discontinuance

of some field surveys.

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1935 1939 1940s 1942 1941-1945

Soil Conservation Service

established to fight 

Dust Bowl erosi

Food Stamp Program 

begins

Former sharecroppers 

migrate to war-related 

jobs in cities

Price controls and food 

rationing during wartime

Frozen foods 

popularized
12 U S D A ’s N at io nal A g ic l t u ral S tt i s t i c s

Post-War Modernization of Agriculture. Post-war 

rising farm production was the result of many things, 

including the increasing use of improved mechanical 

equipment and introduction of improved varieties of 

crops and breeds of livestock. Modernization required 

the amount of capital to engage in farming to increase 

greatly. Prudent management became more dependent 

upon reliable statistics for market planning and operational decisions. Advantages of specialization became 

evident first by the chicken broiler industry where 

individual farm operations were replaced by chick 

hatcheries, feed processors, specialized housing, and 

poultry dressing plants.

More Frequent, Detailed Agricultural Reports. The 

most significant development in the reporting program 

of agricultural estimates during the 1940s and 1950s was 

the increased demand for more frequent, accurate, and 

detailed reports. Weekly broiler reports were started 

in 1948 and weekly reports for turkeys were started in 

1954. Quarterly reports of cattle on feed were started in 

1955 and evolved to be monthly reports for some key 

States.

Objective Yield Procedures Developed. The 1951 

cotton crop was estimated at 17.3 million bales on 

September 1, but within 2 months the forecast dropped 

dramatically by 1.5 million bales. A continuing drought, 

shedding of bolls, and bollworm damage had wreaked 

havoc late in the year.

In reaction to the unprecedented decline in the cotton forecast, the House of Representatives’ Agriculture 

Committee investigated the agency’s procedures. The 

verdict was that the agency’s procedures were sound, 

but the value of funding research into more scientific 

measures was recognized. By the mid-1950s, pilot programs for conducting field measurements to forecast 

yields of cotton, corn, and wheat were well underway.

Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletins. Some analysts, 

agricultural editors, businesspeople, and producers 

voiced that a 10-day data collection and dissemination 

period for monthly crop reports was too long. To fulfill 

the need for taking the pulse of agriculture more frequently, the Weather Bureau and the Extension Service 

worked with the agency to provide a weekly narrative 

on the farm and weather developments. This enabled 

the data users to note significant changes occurring in 

the interim between monthly reports. By 1958, all States 

were producing this weekly update.

Corn Objective Yield measuremen

Young farm family—1940s

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1945-1955 1946-1954 1954

Increased use of herbicides Land-grant college enrollment increases

greatly as veterans enroll under G.I. bi

Number of tractors on farms exceeds the 

number of horses and mules for the first time
U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s S 

Overvalued Land Creates Crisis. For a number of years 

in the 1970s, American landowners saw the prices of 

farmland increase in value beyond the capacity of the 

land to produce adequate income to pay for the loans. 

However, through refinancing purchased land, producers were able to buy even more farmland. When 

inflation slowed, overleveraged producers and the rural 

banks that had made the loans faced a financial crisis. 

By 1987, farmland values bottomed out after a 6-year 

decline.

Detailed Financial Survey. In light of the 1980s farm 

financial crisis, NASS responded with what is now 

known as the Agricultural Resource Management 

Survey. It’s the data source for annual estimates of the 

financial health of farming households and cost-of-production estimates for major agricultural commodities. 

The data are critical to the research and analysis mission 

of USDA’s Economic Research Service, and are a key 

input for evaluating and revising Farm Bill programs.

Advanced Technology Keeps U.S. Producers 

Competitive. Farmers have continued to adopt technology to maximize returns. In the 1970s, farmers reduced 

tillage to save fuel and machinery costs while leaving 

protective crop residues to combat erosion. Modern 

machinery have computer-monitoring systems, GPS 

locators, and other technology to be less wasteful in 

the use of fuel, seed, or fertilizer. In the 1990s, the first 

weed- and insect-resistant biotech crops–soybeans and 

cotton–became available commercially and are now 

widely used. Biotechnology and genetic engineering 

have played a big part in increasing crop and livestock 

production and meeting consumers’ desires.

Rural Way of Life. Throughout U.S. history, farming has 

not only been an important economic activity, but also 

a distinctive way of life. The traditions and values associated with farming and the rural way of life still prevail 

in a society that has become predominantly urban.

Hereford cattle in Anne Arundel County, Marylan

Harvesting corn near Stockton, Kansas

Green County, Wisconsin far

USDA Photo Library USDA Photo Libra

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1970s 1978 1980s 1990s 1990s

Minimum and 

no-till tillage 

popularized

Hog cholera

officially 

eradicated

European grain and animal

exports become more 

competitive with U.S. 

products

More farms turn to 

production and market 

contracts and increase 

vertical integration

First weed- and insectresistant crops—soybeans 

and cotton—become 

available
14 U S D A ’s N at io nal A g ic l t u ral S tt i s t i c s

C

Cooperative Statistical Programs. NASS carries 

out its many surveys with the support of many State 

departments of agriculture, land-grant universities, and 

agricultural industries. Through its network of state 

offices, NASS works closely with its partners to collect 

detailed data on commodities important to local economies, county estimates, and other items not covered by 

Federal funds. This tradition of cooperation has served 

U.S. agriculture well; cooperative agreements generate 

a great deal of information at minimal cost, lighten the 

burden on survey respondents, and help maintain consistency in the estimates produced by different public 

agencies.

The National Association of State Departments of 

Agriculture (NASDA). NASDA provides grassroots support for the NASS mission by employing part-time field 

and office enumerators to collect survey data by telephone or in person. This partnership allows the NASDA 

staff to focus on its specialty—data collection, while 

NASS staff concentrates on survey integrity and data 

analysis. All NASDA employees are sworn to the same 

confidentiality pledge as NASS employees.

Partnering with the World Agricultural Outlook 

Board (WAOB). The WAOB, a unit of USDA’s Office 

of the Chief Economist, was created to provide world 

supply and demand forecasts for major commodities by integrating information from NASS crop and 

livestock reports with a number of other sources. A 

forecast is in the form of balance sheets that matches 

supply—beginning stocks added to the anticipated 

crop—with demand—how much will be consumed 

at home, exported, or remain as ending stocks. When 

the WAOB convenes, interagency teams review and 

approve the commodity estimates and issue them as 

the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand 

Estimates report.

USDA-NASS: 

Partners in Service for American Agriculture

USDA Complex, Washington, D.

NASS

Enumerator interviewing a greenhouse operator

NASS Photo Librar

USDA Photo Librar
U S D A ’  N at i nal A g ri u t u r l S ta i s t i c s S 

N

NASS values its history, because it helps to understand the present and appraise the future. The statistics 

program evolved most during times of crisis for the 

Nation and agriculture’s producers—wars, droughts, the 

Depression, and financial setbacks.

The agency has in its history a misfortune—the 1905 

inside trading scandal—that laid the cornerstone for 

creating the Agricultural Statistics Board. Today all 

survey data and summaries are controlled on a strict 

need-to-know basis and secured when not in use. 

Not even the Secretary of Agriculture or an Under 

Secretary will know a report’s contents until entering 

the lockup area to sign it just before release.

The Agricultural Statistics Boar

 A Century Old

The organization’s most important asset has always 

been its people—those who developed this complex 

and efficient statistical service in the past and those who 

maintain and improve it today.

Guard protecting access to

the NASS lockup area.

Securing window blinds.

NASS Photo Librar

NASS Photo Librar

NASS Photo Librar
NASS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national 

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or 

marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice an

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office o

Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Av

S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD)

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

July 2005

Secretary of Agriculture 

signing the official release.

News reporters 

reporting the latest 

agricultural news. NASS Photo Librar

NASS Photo Librar

NASS Photo Librar

NASS Photo Librar