If your farmhouse is anything like mine was growing up, that trip to the mailbox can turn a little snarky when we see those survey forms from the USDA. Dad was never wild about doing those surveys because he felt the government already had way too much information on our farm than they needed. To put it in perspective, I had a half-mile driveway, so the commentary lasted a while and was much more colorful than what I shared.
There can be good that comes from filling out those forms. Government programs are often based on the information that is received from farmer surveys. That is the case right now as pork producers have gotten those USDA NASS forms in the mail. The National Pork Board is encouraging farmers to fill them out.
Before you fill them out, it is understandable that you would want to know what NASS is learning from these surveys and how it will be used. Anthony Fischer, a statistician at NASS, talks about the USDA Hogs and Pigs survey.
NASS will be able to learn about numbers for marketing purposes as well as estimate the hog inventory in the coming weeks and months.
The Hogs and Pigs report has been out quarterly since 1867. So, it has a long history of shaping the marketplace.
The National Pork Board will be hosting a Hogs and Pigs webinar on September 28th at 3:30 pm CDT. You can learn more at porkcheckoff.org. There are two ways to fill out your confidential survey; a paper form or online.
