May 15, 2009

How many acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat have farmersplanted this season? Has the total area planted to principal crops declined, as expected? Are moregrain stocks continuing to be stored on farm versus off?

The June Agricultural Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), will help answer these and other criticalquestions about the production and supply of major commodities for 2009.

"The June Agricultural Survey is one of the most important surveys conducted byNASS," explained Joe Parsons, director of the NASS Nebraska Field Office. "This survey willprovide the first clear indication of the production and supply of major crops in 2009."

Earlier in the season NASS surveyed farmers' planting intentions and issued theProspective Plantings report. That report indicated that producers in Nebraska expected to plantmore soybeans, oats, sunflowers, and sugarbeets; less grain sorghum, dry beans, and wheat(sown last fall); while leaving corn acreage unchanged from a year ago.

"With planting well underway, now is the time to find out what is actually going into theground. This information will benefit farmers and the entire agricultural industry by providingtimely and accurate data to help them make critical business decisions," said Parsons.

Beginning in late May, NASS will contact about 4,700 Nebraska producers by mail,telephone, or in person and ask them to provide information on what commodities they planted,how much they planted, and how much grain they have stored on their farms. The informationwill be compiled, analyzed, and published in a series of reports, including theannual acreage report and quarterly grain stocks report, both to be released on June 30.

As is the case with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is protectedby law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses, ensuring that no individualproducer or operation can be identified. All reports are available on the NASS Web site atwww.nass.usda.gov.

For more information, call the NASS Nebraska Field Office at (800) 582-6443.

News Release
National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office