National Agricultural Statistics Service

NASS Expert Panel

Publication of 

Agriculture Census 

Data on Farm Operator 

Demographics

Report by National Institute of Statistical Sciences Technical Expert Panel

12 October 2017
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CONTENTS

PREFACE 3

INTRODUCTION 4

BACKGROUND 4

CHARGE TO THE PANEL 4

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS 5

MEETING OF THE PANEL OF TECHNICAL EXPERTS 5

COMPOSITION OF THE PANEL 5

PREPARATION, MEETING AND DELIBERATIONS 6

FINDINGS OF EXPERT PANEL ON FARM OPERATOR DEMOGRAPHICS 6

RESPONSES TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS 6

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM DEBRIEFING 8

TABLES 9

APPENDIX 14

AGENDA 15

EXPERT PANEL BIOSKETCHES 16

LIST OF BACKGROUND MATERIALS 20
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NISS Technical Expert Panel Report on

Publication of Producer Demographics from 2017 US Census of Agriculture

Preface

Following publication of the data from the 2012 United States Census of Agriculture, the National 

Agriculture Statistical Services (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture reviewed feedback from 

stakeholders to inform preparation for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. In particular, stakeholders 

expressed concerns that the 2012 Census of Agriculture data did not fully reflect the roles of women and 

of young/beginning farmers. In response, NASS commissioned an expert panel to review and to 

recommend changes where needed, to the demographics section of the data collection forms. Following 

the report of the panel’s findings, modifications to the demographics section were implemented for the 

2017 Census of Agriculture. The Research and Development Division (RDD) of NASS then commissioned a 

second panel to consider how the demographic data should be presented in publication.

The charge to this panel was to provide specific directives for reporting the new information to be made 

available from the 2017 Census of Agriculture demographics while balancing the needs for information of 

the wide variety of stakeholders together with the practicalities of available resources and the realities of 

timelines for publication.
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INTRODUCTION

Background

The National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture conducts the US 

Census of Agriculture in years ending in 2 and in 7. After the 2012 Census of Agriculture, NASS received 

feedback from stakeholders who believed that the roles of women and of new/beginning farmers were 

not fully captured by the questions in the census questionnaire. In response to these concerns, NASS 

commissioned an Expert Panel of Federal Statistics on Women and Beginning Farmers in US Agriculture. 

Based on recommendations from that panel, NASS made major modifications to the demographics section 

of the questionnaire for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. These modifications include expansion of detail 

on decision-making and also allow reporting of multiple decision-makers. A primary motivation for these 

changes is the need to better document the roles of women, of young and of beginning farmers in US 

agriculture. It is perceived by many that the roles of these demographic groups are under-reported in 

existing Census efforts.

As a result of these changes, the reporting of the demographic information from the 2017 Census needs 

to be revised from past Census reports. The Research and Development Division (RDD) of NASS 

commissioned a second Expert Panel on Publication of Farm Operator Demographics from the 2017 US 

Census of Agriculture to provide recommendations on what to publish.

The publication of the Report of the US Department of Agriculture Censusis consulted by a very wide range 

of individuals and organizations for an equally diverse set of purposes; and the data from the Census 

reaches an even broader audience. Within the agriculture community, producers and producer 

organizations evaluate current data and chronicle changes, both global and within particular agriculture 

sectors down to the level of specific crops, also for specific producer groups based on ethnicity or on farm 

size or on other sociological, demographic or agricultural factors. Within the federal government, the 

Census is used as the sampling frame for smaller regularly conducted surveys and for special purpose data 

collections. The long series of Censuses of Agriculture reports provides a much-accessed window on time 

trends; and Table I with summary statistics over the recent sequence of Censuses is the most often 

consulted table in the report. Researchers within and outside of academia use the detailed information 

provided by the report and by subsequent special-purpose tables when these are created following the 

initial report publication. 

Charge to the Panel

The specific charge to this panel was to respond to six questions which collectively focused on how best 

to publish new or modified demographic information to be collected in the 2017 Census. The panel was 

also tasked with considering whether new demographic data should be bridged with prior data series. 

Each of the specific questions is addressed in turn in this report followed by both specific and overarching 

recommendations.

Six premises set the context for the panel’s responses:
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 The changes in data collection be reflected in reporting the 2017 Census to give a more accurate 

picture of contemporary US agriculture; 

 The new information be presented in readily understandable form to a level of completeness 

comparable to the detail tables published for the 2012 Census;

 Contemporary terminology be used;

 The needs of the diverse users for these new data be met at least to the same extent as for 

published data from previous Censuses;

 The publication be feasible in print as well as online versions, with particular attention to 

feasibility of formatting (e.g., adding rows to tables is less difficult than adding columns, which in 

some cases would not be possible);

 Linkage of information to data from previous Censuses be adequate to relate 2017 Census data 

to 2012 data and to preserve the usefulness of the 2017 Census data as a sampling frame for other 

surveys and survey series.

Specific Questions

1) What demographic information should NASS publish on persons involved in making decisions for the 

farm or ranch operation?

2) How does NASS address publications in light of the specific change from single principal operator to 

multiple persons responsible for decisions?

3) How does NASS present to the data user the correct linkage from the 2017 Census of Agriculture data 

to data from earlier censuses?

4) A Farm Typology is defined utilizing the designation of a single “principal operator” and is used by the 

USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) for analysis. NASS also publishes some Census of Agriculture tables 

based on this Farm Typology. How should NASS link the farm operator data to farm typology as used by 

ERS?

5) The Census of Agriculture is integrated with the NASS Agricultural Resource Management Survey Phase 

3 (ARMS3). Some of the analysis done by ERS is based on the “principal operator’s” household. How 

should ERS identify the household for use in ARMS3?

6) What new tables and data presentations are needed to publish data from the 2017 Census of 

Agriculture decision-making questions?

MEETING OF the PANEL of TECHNICAL EXPERTS

Composition of the Panel

To address the charge while cognizant of the necessary context, the panel experts were assembled with 

breadth of expertise, experience and perspective. Thus the panel membership included agricultural 

producers of both crops and livestock, leaders of agriculture-focused organizations, federal and nonfederal statisticians and economists, also researchers in statistics and in agricultural economics. Brief bio 

sketches of these experts appear in the appendix to this report. 
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Preparation, Meeting and Deliberations

The Expert Panel on Farm Operator Demographics met at NASS on 16 and 17 May 2017 to consider 

questions related to the publication of farm operator demographics from the 2017 Census of Agriculture 

in light of the changes to the data collection form from 2012 to 2017.

In advance of the in-person panel meeting, the panel experts reviewed materials prepared by NASS. These 

included the report of the earlier panel, the (new, revised) demographics section of the 2017 US Census 

of Agriculture data collection form, publications of the data summaries for the 2012 US Census of 

Agriculture and other documents (a complete listing appears in the appendix).

On the agenda for the panel meeting were presentations by NASS staff plus time allowed for public 

comment and questions before the panel began its closed session deliberations. The final session of the 

meeting was an immediate debriefing of the panel’s findings to NASS and ERS (Economic Research Section 

of USDA), with opportunities for questions and clarifications.

The panel discussed at length the implications of (i) changes in the Personal Characteristics section of the 

Census form that will allow the collection of demographic and other data on up to four “persons” involved 

with farm decision making (rather than three “operators” with day-to-day decision making responsibility, 

as was the case in the 2012 Census) and (ii) the elimination of the single “principal operator” concept and 

subsequent adoption of questions that allow for the designation of multiple principal operators. 

The panel also deliberated over the need for bridging between the 2017 and 2012 censuses because of 

the significant changes to the “principal operator” designation in the Operator Characteristics section of 

the Census form (renamed Personal Characteristics in the 2017 Census).

The panel discussed each question in turn, bearing in mind the context and the premises listed above, 

also taking into account information presented and points raised during the open session. In discussing 

individually each question in the charge listed above, the panel was also led to some broader 

recommendations that are relevant to multiple single questions or to planning for the future. The panel 

recognized that the revisions for the 2017 Census constitute a first step toward more extensive revision 

for the 2022 Census in order to meet the challenge of representing the full panoply of present-day 

agricultural structures and operations.

FINDINGS of EXPERT PANEL on FARM OPERATOR DEMOGRAPHICS

Responses to the Specific Questions

1) What demographic information should NASS publish on persons involved in making decisions for the 

farm or ranch operation?

NASS should publish information on all items in the Personal Characteristics section of the 2017 Census; 

the level of detail should be at least the same or equivalent to the level of detail published for the 2012 

Census on items in the Farm Operator Demographics section.
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2) How does NASS address publications in light of the specific change from single principal operator to 

multiple persons responsible for decisions?

New nomenclature should be used exclusively as attempting to redefine “Principal Operator” and/or 

“Operator” would be bound to lead to confusion. Replacement terminology should allow for multipledecision makers and indication whether they are co-equal or not. Terminology should be contemporary 

and applicable across the full range of agricultural operations.

3) How does NASS present to the data user the correct linkage from the 2017 Census of Agriculture data 

to data from earlier censuses?

Since the concept of a single Principal Operator does not apply to many agricultural operations, this is 

difficult. At the same time, the panel agreed fully that the report of the 2017 Census data does need to 

allow examination of changes (trends) in US agriculture. 

For existing tables of data from multiple censuses, especially Table 1 which is most heavily consulted, 

information related to personal characteristics can be expanded by adding rows to the previous format. 

Where data exist, particularly for the 2012 Census, entries in the new rows can be calculated from those 

data. 

A single table bridging 2017 and 2012 Census information on personal characteristics can be created for 

the initial publication (Volume 1) for the 2017 Census with any other bridging tables deferred to 

subsequent publications.

4) A Farm Typology is defined utilizing the designation of a single “principal operator” and is used by the 

USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) for analysis. NASS also publishes some Census of Agriculture tables 

based on this Farm Typology. How should NASS link the farm operator data to farm typology as used by 

ERS?

Farm Typology as used by ERS currently has primary classification based on farm sales and secondary 

classification based on “Organizational Type” and on “Principal Operator.” Therefore, the classifications 

of Organizational Type also need to reflect contemporary US Agriculture both with respect to family 

ownership and to number of people involved in decision-making.

5) The Census of Agriculture is integrated with the NASS Agricultural Resource Management Survey Phase 

3 (ARMS3). Some of the analysis done by ERS is based on the “principal operator’s” household. How should 

ERS identify the household for use in ARMS3?

When a single individual or household must be designated as in the bridging table or in ERS use in ARMS3, 

a substitute for “Principal Operator” is required; to the extent possible it should be consistent with this 

specific use. The current (as of 15 May 2017) definitions used by ERS in ARMS3 are: 

 Operator: “the farmer who makes everyday decisions about the farm business”

 Principal Operator: “the one [operator] most responsible for running the farm”
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https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-structure-and-organization/background-on-farmorganization/ Updated: Wednesday, April 05, 2017

6) What new tables and data presentations are needed to publish data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture 

decision-making questions?

Additional detailed tables (farm characteristics and personal characteristics) are needed for three groups: 

women, new/beginning farmers, and based on current demands for information, veterans also.

For each of the roles in decision-making, a detailed table is needed (farm characteristics).

A bridging table is needed to address clearly the age distribution for decision-makers (All Operators and 

Principal Operators of past Censuses and All Producers, All Principal Producers plus Primary Producers of 

2017 Census).

Within existing and new tables, changes are needed both where principal operator’s age is indicated and 

where additional operational type is used. 

Summary of Recommendations from Debriefing

The expert panel’s recommendations were first presented to NASS and ERS at the debriefing on 17 May, 

and are given in detail below. 

The goal of the panel is to advise changes that will improve the accuracy of representation of US 

agriculture and of the people engaged in the decision-making.

The hope is that the new approach to collecting producer demographic data is in fact superior (i.e., more 

representative of industry realities) to the “principal operator” data collected in 2012 and earlier censuses. 

With retention of the revised demographics questions regarding “persons involved in decision making” in 

the 2022 Census, users will have the ability to evaluate changes in the new demographics data between 

the 2017 and 2022 periods.

1. Publishing Nomenclature

Recommendation: Replace the label “Operator” with “Producer” in all publications. 

The 2017 Census of Agriculture and future censuses will use these terms: “all producers”, “Principal 

Producers”, “non-Principal Producers.” These terms span the breadth of agriculture and are consistent 

with current terminology used by producers and by professional agriculture organizations. The term 

“Primary Producer” as defined below will only be used in the bridging table, and only for the 2017 Census 

of Agriculture. 

The old terminology will appear only in Table 1 Summary Highlights and in one bridging table, as specified 

below. In Table 1, the row “average age of principal operator” will be retained with entries for past census. 

A new row will be added “average age of Principal Producers” to be from 2017 moving forward. At the 
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option of NASS, a second new row “average age of producers” may be considered. The change in 

methodology will be clearly noted for readers of Table 1.

2. Reconsideration of “Marketing” as a Functional Role

Recommendation: Expand the list of roles in decision-making to include “Marketing.” 

The panel found this omission of this important activity very unfortunate. If the inclusion of “Marketing” 

cannot be done for the 2017 Census of Agriculture, then this change should be implemented at the earliest 

opportunity as the earliest possible date for other surveys that include information on personal 

characteristics and should not await the 2022 Census of Agriculture. For example, other NASS surveys 

and the ARMS surveys conducted by ERS starting as early as 2018 could include “Marketing” in the 

expanded list of roles.

3. Consistency across NASS and ERS Survey Information

Recommendation: Strive for consistency across USDA surveys and information bases.

Starting with other NASS surveys currently in design phase and with 2018 ARMS 3, add questions to be 

consistent with the content of the 2017 Census of Agriculture, including changing the labels on the form 

to “producer.” Allow multiple Principal Producers to be designated, for example by adopting language 

like, “a Principal Producer” and “one of the Principal Producers.”

4. USDA Messaging 

Recommendation: Vigorous, immediate and broad-based messaging is required about the changed in 

demographic items, their rationale and benefits.

Strong USDA messaging is required about the nature, purpose, and benefits of the refined demographic 

questions (i.e., focus on better capturing the roles of women, new, and beginning farmers) and the 

movement away from the “principal operator” concept in instances where multiple individuals

(producers) play important decision-making roles.

External stakeholders (professional agriculture organizations and media, agriculture extension offices, 

etc.) should be engaged to the extent possible in the dissemination of this information. NASS should also 

start publicizing the changes now internally with specific outreach to other USDA agencies explaining what 

new data that will be collected and how it might impact them.

5. Publication and Access to 2017 Census of Agriculture Data

Recommendation: NASS should publish a methodology update and implications document in conjunction 

with (or as close as possible to) Volume 1.

Recommendation: NASS should continue to advance online visualization tools so users can fully explore 

the rich data available from the 2017 Census of Agriculture.

TABLES

6. Table 1 for 2017
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Recommendation: Rows should be added below “Principal Operator’s Average Age” for “Principal 

Producers: Average Age” and “All Producers: Average Age.”

These same changes should be made in all subsequent tables.

Recommendation: In all tables where “Operating Arrangement” appears, it should be re-categorized as: 

Single Principal Producer, Joint Spousal Producers, Family Farm: 2-4 Producers, Family Farm: 5+ Producers, 

Non-Family Farm: 2-4 Producers, Non-Family Farm: 5+ Producers. The definitions of Family and Non-Family 

Farm should be unchanged from 2012.

7. Bridging Demographic Information

Recommendation: Bridging between the 2012 Census ”principal operator” and 2017 Census “Principal 

Producer” constructs is necessary. Therefore for the 2017 Census a single reference person (“Primary 

Producer” is designated. Bridging tables should ONLY be produced for the 2017 Census of Agriculture cycle. 

Volume 1 should contain ONLY one bridging table: Age. Bridging tables may be produced for sex, ethnicity, 

etc. for the second wave of publications.

The algorithm to derive the Primary Producer from the 2017 Census of Agriculture form:

i. If only one Principal Producer is designated on the form, then use that person.

ii. If multiple Principal Producers are designated on the form, then apply the following 

algorithm to the columns of the Principal Producers, moving down the list to break a tie.

a. Use the person that makes the largest number of decisions

b. Use the person with the least time worked off of the farm

c. Randomly select from remaining persons

iii. If no Principal Producers are designated, apply the same algorithm in ii. to all persons 

listed on the form

Bridging Table – Census of Agriculture 2017

2012 2017 2017

All 

operators*

Principal 

operators

Non-principal 

operators

All 

producers

Principal 

Producers

Non-Principal 

Producers

Primary 

Producer

Rows **

*Note: “All” refers to the up to four operators per farm for whom detailed characteristics are collected. 

**Note: Rows would include the demographic characteristics from 2012 Table 57, with relabeling as 

appropriate for new terminology.

The nature, purpose and details of this algorithm should appear in the technical publication 

(Recommendation 5).

8. Specific Demographic Tables

Recommendation: Only publish 2017 data in these tables and include them in Volume 1.

Recommendation: In addition to demographic tables on operator/producer characteristics (Table 56) and 

on farm characteristics (Table 57) as published in 2012, add five new pairs of tables for: i) men, ii) women, 
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iii) new/beginning farmers (10 years or less operating), iv) young farmers (35 years old or younger), and v) 

veterans. Add rows to reflect the operating arrangement. 

2017 Census of Agriculture - Example Farm Characteristics Table

Women Producers – Selected Farm Characteristics: 2017

2017

Characteristics

Any producer 

is a Woman

All

Principal 

Producers are 

Women

A Principal 

Producer is a 

Women

Only 

Non-Principal 

Producers

are Women

No 

Producer is a 

Women

Farms

Land in farms

Farms by 

operation 

arrangement:

Single 

Producer

Joint/Spouse

Family – 2-4 

Producers 

Family – 5+ 

Producers

Non-Family –

2-4 Producers

Non-Family –

5+ Producers

Other 

Arrangements

Note: see 2012 Table 56 for additional rows

2017 Census of Agriculture – Example Producer Characteristics Table

Women Producers – Selected Producer Characteristics: 2017

2017

Characteristics

All

Principal Producers All Producers

Primary occupation

Residence on farm

Age

<25

25-34

Etc.

Note: see 2012 Table 57 for additional rows
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9. Specific Farm Characteristics Table

Recommendation: Only publish 2017 data in these tables and include them in Volume 1.

Recommendation: Publish Farm Characteristics by Operating Arrangement.

2017 Census of Agriculture

Selected Farm Characteristics by Operating Arrangement of Primary Producer: 2017

Family Farms Non-Family Farms

All 

Farms

Single 

Producer

Joint 

Spousal 

Producers

2-4 

Producers

5+

Producers

2-4 

Producers

5+ 

Producers

Other

Charact

eristics

Note: see 2012 Table 56 for additional rows (omitting the Operating Arrangement Rows since these are 

now the columns)

10. Decision-making question publications

Recommendation: Only publish 2017 data in these tables and include them in Volume 1.

Recommendation: Publish a personal (producer) characteristics table for each decision-making question. 

Add rows for categories of sex, race, ethnicity, and veteran status to these tables. 

2017 Census of Agriculture

Involvement in Decision-Making by Characteristics of Producers: 2017

All 

Producers

Day-to-day 

decisions

Land use 

and/ or crop 

decisions

Livestock 

decisions

Record 

keeping and 

financial 

management

Estate or 

succession 

planning

Principal 

Producers

Non-Principal 

Producers

Sex of 

producer:

Male

Female

Primary 

occupation

Farming

Other
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Note: use rows from 2012 Table 57

11. Looking ahead

Recommendation: For the Census of Agriculture in 2022 consider substantial changes to accommodate 

the vast array of farm structures.

Recommendation: For the Census of Agriculture in 2022 consider modern communication and media and 

flexibility offered by electronic data capture to enrich the base of information, to simplify for individual 

respondents and to accommodate greater diversity among producers.

Recommendation: Continue to pursue opportunities for data presentation in online mode to increase 

options, flexibility and detailed data access for users. 

Recommendation: Consider adding more specific decision-making questions (e.g. marketing) and testing 

the ordering. Continue to utilize extensive cognitive testing to better design the questions. 

Recommendation: Consider alternatives for Estate and Succession planning as these may not be annual 

activities but are important in management of agricultural operations.
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APPENDIX

1. Agenda

2. Expert Panel Biosketches

3. List of Background Materials
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May 16-17, 2017

1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250

AGENDA and Charge to the NASS Technical Expert Panel

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

8:30 am Arrive at USDA, South Building to go through Security & meet escort to meeting

9:00 am Presentations by NASS (open to public)

12 noon LUNCH

1:00 pm Questions & discussion with NASS staff as appropriate (closed session)

Panel deliberations (closed)

5:00 pm Adjourn for the day

6:30 pm Panel Dinner

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

8:30 am Arrive at USDA, South Building to go through Security & meet escort to meeting

9:00 am Panel deliberations (closed)

11:00 am Questions & discussion with NASS if desired (closed)

12 noon LUNCH

1:00 pm Panel deliberations (closed)

3:30 pm Verbal summarization & discussion with NASS staff

5:00 pm Adjourn for the day

NASS Technical Expert Panel
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EXPERT PANEL BIOSKETCHES

Scott Fricker

Title: Senior Research Psychologist, Office of Survey Methods Research, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Scott Fricker’s areas of research include measurement error, experimental design, questionnaire and instrument 

design, survey product and process quality, respondent burden, cognitive interviewing, and usability.

Katina Hanson, M.E.M.

Title: Chief of Staff to the Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs for the Farm Service Agency

Katina Hanson is Chief of Staff to the Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs at the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). She also serves on the Executive Committee for the USDA Women in 

Agriculture Employee Group and as Chair of FSA’s Women in Ag Chapter.

Ms. Hanson has a strong background in farm policy and programs at FSA, working previously as Senior Policy Analyst 

in the Office of the Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs and as the Agency Team Lead for the Biofuel 

Infrastructure Partnership. She has also served in multiple positions with the Conservation and Environmental 

Programs Division at FSA, including Planning and Analysis Branch Chief and National Program Manager for the 

Emergency Conservation Program. Before joining FSA, Katina worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation 

Service as a Resource Conservationist on the Watershed Planning staff in the Pacific Islands Area Office. She also 

worked for the State of Hawaii as the Water Quality Management Planner and is a former AmeriCorps Volunteer.

Jay Hardwick, Ph.D.

Title: Chairman of EWR

Dr. Jay Hardwick with his wife and sons produces 8,100 acres of cotton, corn, grain sorghum, soybean, and wheat in 

Northeast Louisiana. His production mission is to achieve a viable, profitable farm enterprise that strives for the 

ethical stewardship of all habitat and production resources with minimum impact upon the overall farm ecosystem. 

Jay has been recognized for his conservation and stewardship with awards including: the Goodyear Award for 

Outstanding Resource Management, National Cotton Achievement Award, National Award for Environmental 

Sustainability, Private Landowner Stewardship Award, National High Cotton Award for conservation, EPA’s 

Environmental Excellence Award, Garden Club of America’s Conservation Award, and the USDA’s Natural Resource 

and Conservation Service Good Land Use Award. Jay was named as one of three national cotton producers to 

represent the United States in Cotton LEADS, an international program committed to social, environmental, 

economic and regulatory factors required to produce cotton responsibly in a global environment. In 2015, Jay and 

Mary were awarded the National Wetlands Ward by the Environmental Law Institute at the U.S. Botanic Garden in 

Washington, D.C.

Jay is the past chairman of Cotton Inc., National Cotton Council, American Cotton Producers, and former secretary 

of the National Peanut Board. He is the current chairman of EWR, a national custom software provider for agriculture 

and other industries. Additionally, he serves as president of the Louisiana Independent Cotton Warehouse 

Association, and vice president of Newellton Gin Co. Jay is past president of Louisiana Cotton and Grain Producers 

Association. He is a director of Tensas Cotton Warehouse, Tensas State Bank’s Farm and Livestock Credit, Tensas 

Concordia Soil and Water Conservation District, a member of the Louisiana Black Bear Management Program, and 

past advisory board member of the Louisiana Audubon Society.

Joy Harwood, Ph.D.

Title: Director of the Economic and Policy Analysis Staff (EPAS) at the Farm Service Agency
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Dr. Joy Harwood is director of the Economic and Policy Analysis Staff (EPAS) at the Farm Service Agency, a position 

she has held since March 2006. Her staff offers current insights into the market and policy issues affecting commodity 

programs, the farm credit situation, and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and is frequently called upon to 

brief policy officials on a wide variety of topics. EPAS analysts contribute to the monthly interagency process that 

produces USDA's monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. EPAS is also responsible for 

tracking foreign investment in agricultural land under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act and 

manages the regulatory process for FSA. Prior to moving to FSA, Harwood spent 19 years at USDA's Economic 

Research Service (ERS), where she served as deputy director for Market Outlook from 2001 to 2006, and chief of 

ERS's Field Crops Branch from 1996 to 2000. Earlier in her career, she managed ERS's risk management research 

project where she helped analyze and assist in the development of revenue insurance and other new programs for 

the USDA's Risk Management Agency.

Dr. Harwood is a five-time recipient of the Secretary's Honor Award, one of the highest awards given by the Secretary 

of Agriculture. In 1996, she was named "USDA Economist of the Year" and in 2015, she was awarded the “Fred 

Woods Public Policy Award” by the USDA Economists Group. She co-taught the USDA Graduate School course, 

"Understanding USDA's Farm Programs" over a 10-year period with her husband, Craig Jagger, now retired, who was 

chief economist for the House Committee on Agriculture.

Steven G. Heeringa, Ph.D.

Title: Senior Research Scientist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR)

Dr. Steven G. Heeringa is a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR). 

He is a member of the Faculty of the University of Michigan Program in Survey Methods and the Joint Program in 

Survey Methodology. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and elected member of the International 

Statistical Institute. He is the author of many publications on statistical design and sampling methods for research 

in the fields of public health and the social sciences. He is the lead author of Applied Survey Data Analysis (Chapman 

& Hall, 2010), a comprehensive new text on methods for the statistical analysis of complex sample survey data. 

Steve has over 40 years of statistical sampling experience in the development of the SRC National Sample design, as 

well as research designs for ISR's major longitudinal and cross-sectional survey programs. Since 1985 Steve has 

collaborated extensively with scientific colleagues in the design and conduct of major studies in aging, psychiatric 

epidemiology and physical and mental health. He has been a teacher of survey sampling and statistical methods to 

U.S. and international students and has served as a sample design consultant to a wide variety of international 

research programs based in countries such as Russia, the Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, India, Nepal, China, Egypt, 

Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa and Chile.

Doris Mold, M.S.

Title: President, American Agriculture Organization

Doris Mold is President of American Agri-Women (AAW) the nation's largest coalition of women in agriculture. She 

is an Agricultural Consultant, Agricultural Economist, Educator, and Advocate as well as a farm co-owner/operator. 

She is the President of Sunrise Agricultural Associates, LLC an agricultural consulting firm. Her consulting practice 

has included a broad range of work, including but not limited to management, business and economic analysis, 

business and transition plan development and coaching, evaluation, marketing, advocacy, leadership, education and 

organizational development. She also teaches Farm and Agri-Business Management at the University of Minnesota 

(U of MN) for MAST International.

She has served on national panels including the USDA-sponsored Panel on Improving Data Collection and Reporting 

about Agriculture with Increasingly Complex Farm Structures and the Panel on Statistics on Women and Beginning 

Farmers in the USDA Census of Agriculture. She has also served on and chaired the Agricultural Statistics Advisory 

Committee for NASS. Mold founded the AgDay365 - Ag Day is Every Day national consumer advocacy project for 

AAW.
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Mold worked as an Agricultural Economist at the U of MN and continues to work on research/education projects 

with the U of MN. In 2016 Mold received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the U of MN College of Food, 

Agricultural and Natural Resources Alumni Society.

Mold serves in a unique position as a producer who uses the data and provides data to NASS and as an economist 

who utilizes the data in research, teaching and business. She has a keen interest in developing a better understanding 

of the roles that people play in production and broader agriculture and has conducted research on the changing 

roles of women in agriculture.

Brian Schilling, Ph.D.

Title: Associate Extension Specialist of Agricultural Policy within Rutgers Cooperative Extension; Associate 

Professor of agricultural, food and resource economics at the School of Environmental and Biological 

Sciences, Rutgers University

Dr. Brian Schilling is an Associate Extension Specialist of Agricultural Policy within Rutgers Cooperative Extension and 

Associate Professor of agricultural, food and resource economics at the School of Environmental and Biological 

Sciences, Rutgers University. He served previously as Associate Director of the Rutgers Food Policy Institute (FPI).

Dr. Schilling has considerable experience in stakeholder-driven research development and implementation, and 

educational outreach. He has worked on a wide range of academic projects, public policy studies, and policy-making 

bodies over the past 23 years. His recent research has focused on farm viability, farmland preservation, and 

agricultural economic development at the urban-rural fringe. He has been principal investigator or co-principal 

investigator on 32 research and educational programming grants/contracts totaling $3.4 million and served as a 

senior investigator on an additional 10 research grants totaling $6.3 million. As associate director of FPI, he 

supervised day-to-day administration of the Institute and managed more than $30 million in external research grants 

and contracts. 

Dr. Schilling has served on nearly three dozen industry or government committees, task forces, or governing boards 

focused on agriculture or food-related issues. He currently serves on the USDA-NASS Advisory Committee on 

Agricultural Statistics. He is also a member of the State Agriculture Development Committee, the agency responsible 

for New Jersey’s farmland preservation, right to farm, agricultural mediation, and Farm Link programs. He is a former 

trustee and president of the New Jersey Agricultural Society.

Richard Valliant, Ph.D.

Title: Research Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and the Joint Program for Survey 

Methodology at the University of Maryland

Dr. Richard Valliant is a Research Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and the Joint Program for Survey 

Methodology at the University of Maryland. He has over 40 years of experience in survey sampling, estimation 

theory, and statistical computing. He was formerly an Associate Director at Westat and a mathematical statistician 

with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He has a range of applied experience in survey estimation and sample design on 

a variety of establishment, institutional, and household surveys. He is also a Fellow of the American Statistical 

Association, an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, and has been an editor of several statistical 

journals.

Veronica Nigh, M.S.

Title: Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation
Page 19 of 20

Veronica Nigh has been the International Trade and Environmental Issue Economist for the American Farm Bureau 

Federation since April 2011. In that role, she is responsible for conducting research, policy analysis, and delivering 

information to AFBF members when shifts in policy related to international trade, environmental issues, 

transportation, labor, and specialty crops occur.

Prior to joining Farm Bureau, Nigh worked for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in the Office of Negotiations 

and Agreements as an International Economist. Veronica also served as an International Marketing Specialist at the 

Missouri Department of Agriculture. Nigh is a native of Savannah, Missouri. She holds a bachelor's degree in 

Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri and a Masters in Economics from American University.

Panel convened by National Institute of Statistical Sciences

Nell Sedransk, Ph.D.

Title: Director, National Institute of Statistical Sciences; Statistics Professor, North Carolina State

University

Dr. Nell Sedransk is the Director of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences and Professor of Statistics at North 

Carolina State University. She is an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute, also Elected Fellow of 

the American Statistical Association, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She 

is coauthor of three technical books; and her research in both statistical theory and application appears in more than 

60 scientific papers in refereed journals. The areas of her technical expertise include: design of complex 

experiments, Bayesian inference, spatial statistics and topological foundations for statistical theory. She has applied 

her expertise in statistical design and analysis of complex experiments and observational studies to a wide range of 

applications from physiology and medicine to engineering and sensors to social science applications in multiobserver scoring to ethical designs for clinical trials.
Page 20 of 20

LIST OF BACKGROUND MATERIALS

2015 Expert Panel on Federal Statistics on Women and Beginning Farmers in U.S. Agriculture (with 

appendices) 

-- 2015 Expert Panel Background Materials

-- Report of 2015 Expert Panel

-- NASS Response to 2015 Expert Panel Report

Developing the 2017 Census of Agriculture Form

-- Questionnaire Reformatting

-- Cognitive Testing Results

-- 2015 Content Test Analyses

-- 2016 EDR Test Analysis

-- 2017 Census of Agriculture Form-Demographic Section

Census of Agriculture Products Tied to Demographic Data

-- 2012 Census of Agriculture Products Tied to Demographic Data

-- Issues Producing the 2012 Census of Agriculture Products the 2012 Census of Agriculture Products

-- Potential Solutions Considered by NASS

Publication of Similar Data by Other Organizations

-- Agricultural Surveys

-- Non-Agricultural Surveys

U.S. Census of Agriculture. (2012). U.S. Census of Agriculture, Volume 1. Washington DC: United States 

Department of Agriculture. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service—Farm Structure and Organization: 

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-structure-and-organization/background-on-farmorganization/ Updated: Wednesday, April 05, 2017