The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has begun surveying farmland owners to measure financial impacts and challenges of land ownership. Landowners were sent forms for the survey, called Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL), at the end of December, according to a NASS press release.
TOTAL is a part of the Census of Agriculture program, which means response to this survey is mandatory. The TOTAL survey program will collect data from both farm operators and landlords who are not farm operators to create a complete picture of farm costs, land ownership, demographics about farm operators and landlords, and improvements made to farmland and buildings, among other characteristics. More than 80,000 farmland owners and producers across the United States will receive TOTAL forms, including 1,400 in Georgia.
In February and March, NASS interviewers will begin reaching out to producers and landowners who have not yet responded to answer any questions they may have and help them fill out their questionnaires.
Information provided by respondents is confidential by law. The agency safeguards the confidentiality of all responses, ensuring no individual respondent or operation can be identified.
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