Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding is urging all farmers in the state to complete the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Census of Agriculture. Last month, more than 52,000 known farmers and other agricultural producers across the state began receiving census questionnaires from the USDA.

“If you aren’t counted, you just may not count,” Redding said. “But if you invest a little time in answering the census, you will be helping shape farm policies and decisions that will affect your future, bring opportunities for growth and funding to Pennsylvania, and help ensure that your family, your farm, and your sector of ag count.”

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts a nationwide count of people who earn at least $1,000 per year growing food and other crops. Data gathered help give an accurate picture of agricultural production in every U.S. county, inform food and agriculture policies and programs, and guide investments that will grow and sustain the industry.

This data collection is the only source of comprehensive, impartial state and county level ag data in the country. Census data are used to tell each county, state and region’s story — including the strengths and weaknesses of an area, what is produced there, and who the producers are.