Media contact:
Misti Preston
Phone: (573) 751-8596
Misti.Preston@mda.mo.gov

For Immediate Release: November 21, 2007

Count Your Blessings in the 2007 Census of Agriculture

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS) is asking Missouri producers to count their blessings and provide a voice in the future of their community and industry through the 2007 Census of Agriculture set to be mailed the last week in December.

“As producers in Missouri, it is important that we show thanks towards an industry that continues to support our families and our state’s economy. This Thanksgiving season is a great reminder of how important our agricultural industry is,” said Katie Smith, director of MDA. “Producers across the state will have the opportunity to be a part of the future of agriculture through this year’s Census of Agriculture. I encourage every Missouri producer, large or small, to participate in this opportunity to help our industry grow.”

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a Census that provides a complete count of the nation’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The Census looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures and other topics. It provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the nation.

“Thanksgiving is the perfect time to remind farmers how important they are and how much the nation is thankful for their hard work,” said Gene Danekas, director of NASS Missouri Field Office. “It is also a good time to remind producers that they have a voice and a responsibility to use that voice to make a better future. Tools like the Census enable farmers to help shape the future of agriculture and the future of their own local communities.”

Census forms will begin to appear in rural mailboxes the last week of this year, to collect data for the 2007 calendar year. Completed forms are requested from all recipients by Feb. 4, 2008. Producers can return their forms by mail or, for the first time, have the convenient option of completing the Census online. For more information about the Census, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call toll-free (888) 4AG-STAT or (888) 424-7828.

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