Glossary

Census

The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Even small plots of land - whether rural or urban - growing fruit, vegetables or some food animals count if ,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the Census year.

The Census of Agriculture, taken only once every five years, looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures. For America’s farmers and ranchers, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity.

The Census of Agriculture provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agricultural data for every county in the nation.

Surveys: Cattle Inventory

The Cattle Inventory survey is conducted in all states except Alaska. A sample of cattle producers is selected from the NASS list frame. A sample of area tracts is selected to measure incompleteness of the list. This ensures statistical coverage of all cattle operations in each state.

The Cattle Inventory survey is conducted in January and July of each year. The January survey is the larger of the two surveys and includes nearly 50,000 cattle operations of all sizes. Estimates are made for all states. The July survey includes a list sample of nearly 10,000 of the larger cattle operations. Estimates are made at the U.S. level only.