USDA Shrinks Farm Water Survey—Fewer Farmers Hassled, Yay?
Published Date: 9/11/2026
Notice
Summary
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service plans to update and extend its water use survey for North Carolina farms using 10,000 to 1,000,000 gallons daily. They’re shrinking the sample size, so fewer farmers will be asked to share info, which means less time spent on the survey. Comments are open until November 10, 2026, so now’s the time to speak up!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
NC Farms Face Annual 30‑Minute Survey
If you operate a North Carolina farm that likely uses between 10,000 and 1,000,000 gallons per day, NASS plans a voluntary Water Use Survey that is collected annually. The sample size is about 3,000 respondents, each expected to spend about 30 minutes to complete the survey (plus about 5 minutes for instructions), and the total estimated annual burden is 1,438 hours.
Survey Data Protected by Confidentiality Laws
If you respond, individually identifiable answers are protected: data are collected under 7 U.S.C. 2204(a) and 7 U.S.C. 2276 (Food Security Act confidentiality) and must comply with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018. NASS says it will use the information only for statistical purposes and publish only tabulated totals.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
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