National Agricultural Statistics Service Survey - Do You Participate?

[MarkSykes]

I have received a form from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, asking how many goats and chickens I have. I raise these animals for use by my family, no commercial sales whatsoever (though, in the future, I may sell excess kids in non-commercial, private sales).

I do not have a business license, I don't take products to market, this is not a farm. I do not see why I need to supply livestock information.

Even the government does not define my three acres and a barn as a farm, since I have no commercial sales:

A farm is currently defined, for statistical purposes, as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products (crops and livestock) were sold or normally would have been sold during the year under consideration. This definition has been in place since August 1975—by joint agreement among USDA, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Bureau of the Census.

Source: ERS/USDA Briefing Room - Farm Structure - Glossary

Has anyone else received this survey, and in the case of non-commercial, homesteader-type smallholders, what is your response to it?

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

I want to participate in any survey that lets the state of Texas and the US know how many dairy goats are being milked. We will never move from sheepandgoat to Sheep and Meat, Hair or Dairy Goat or get any meat or dairy money if we do not fill these things out. Right now when you give the information you will be coupled in with the "goat" of sheep and goat, and it's angora money period. No meat, no dairy. When the gal from the AG department for Texas comes to the farm, she asks all her questions and fills out her forms in my milk room. I do not allow her to put me under sheep and goat but other.

Without associations like ABGA and ADGA we would all have scrapie tags in all our goats ears. If we all filled out all AG surveys, lobbied for our stock and our small business with our stock, it's the only way to be heard, and perhaps we could do our part to make changes in these archaic rules. Vicki

[MarkSykes]

Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

I want to participate in any survey that lets the state of Texas and the US know how many dairy goats are being milked...I do not allow her to put me under sheep and goat but other.

Vicki,

Thanks for answering. I might not be understanding what you said correctly, but if your numbers are put under 'other' then how does the government learn how many dairy goats are being milked?

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Under other, there is a section to write what that other is So she clicks other and then writes in Dairy Goat. Vicki