January 27, 2023
Virginia Agricultural Producers Encouraged to Complete the 2022 Census of Agriculture
Contact: Michael Wallace
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) wants to ensure the array and abundance of Virginia’s agricultural production is accurately reflected in the national Census of Agriculture. To aid this effort, VDACS encourages agricultural producers to complete the 2022 Census of Agriculture by February 6, 2023. Conducted every five years by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census of agriculture provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and ranches and is the premier source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data. Completing the census provides Virginia farmers the opportunity to tell their story and help generate opportunities for future generations of producers.
In addition to nationwide and statewide information, the census of agriculture collects county level data, such as the level of production of many commodities. The following are a few highlights of Virginia counties from the 2017 Census of Agriculture
• King William County harvested the most pounds of sunflower seeds,
• Mecklenburg County harvested the most pounds of tobacco,
• Accomack County harvested the most bushels of wheat for grain,
• Loudon County harvested the most pounds of hops,
• Fredrick County had the most acres of land in orchards,
• Grayson County had the most acres in production of cultivated Christmas trees,
• Fauquier County had the highest number of horse and ponies,
Farm operations of all sizes - rural and urban - which produced and sold (or normally would have sold) $1,000 or more of agricultural product in 2022 are included in the ag census. As required by law, NASS must keep all information confidential and use the data only for statistical purposes. Data is published in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation. NASS will release the results of the ag census in early 2024.
Between ag census years, NASS considers revisions to the questionnaire to document changes and emerging trends in the industry. Changes to the 2022 questionnaire include new questions about the use of precision agriculture, hemp production, hair sheep, and updates to internet access questions. The resulting data is used by policy makers, farmers, trade associations, researchers, and many others to help make decisions in community planning, farm assistance programs, technology development, farm advocacy, agribusiness setup, rural development and more.
Access the 2022 Census of Agriculture here. Click here to learn more or to view past ag census data, please visit.
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files.