USDA Plans 2027 Farm Census Revival to Map American Agriculture
Published Date: 1/14/2026
Notice
Summary
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service plans to bring back the 2027 Census of Agriculture, a big survey that collects important info about farms across the U.S. and its territories. Farmers and farm operators who produce $1,000 or more in products will be part of this. Comments on this plan are open until March 16, 2026, and this survey helps keep farming data fresh and useful without extra costs to participants.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Which farms must respond
If you run a farm that produced (or normally would produce) $1,000 or more in agricultural products in the 50 states, Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), you are included in the 2027 Census of Agriculture. For Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands the threshold is $500, and American Samoa is included without any production/sales threshold and includes items grown for home consumption. Responding to the screening form, the Census of Agriculture, and related mandatory surveys is required by law.
Estimated time burden on respondents
NASS estimates about 4,050,000 respondents for the 2027 Census of Agriculture and a total annual respondent burden of 2,900,000 hours. Individual response time may range from a few minutes for brief responses to nearly an hour for more detailed forms, and that time is part of the mandatory response requirement.
Census data guide funding and programs
Congress, federal and state programs, and private industry use Census of Agriculture data to design programs and allocate funds for things like soil conservation projects, cooperative extension programs, and research funding. The information collected can influence what programs and resources your area receives.
Legal confidentiality protections
If you provide information to the Census of Agriculture, your individual answers are protected by law under Section 1770 of the Food Security Act and by the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA). NASS says it will use the data only for statistical purposes and will publish only aggregated totals, keeping personally identifiable data confidential.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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