USDA to survey cattle, milk and sheep and goat productions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be conducting several livestock surveys through January, the Cattle Report, the Milk Productions Report, and the Sheep and Goat Report.     “These surveys deal with important components of agriculture in the northeastern region of the United States. It is crucial for us to have accurate data about these key livestock sectors. This information helps producers make timely, informed business decisions and plans. It also helps packers and government leaders evaluate expected volume for future months and determine potential supplies for export,” said King Whetstone, director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office. “Obtaining current counts will serve as an important decision making tool for the entire agricultural industry. These surveys give producers the opportunity to report the latest information on conditions and trends in their industry.” Operators selected for the surveys are asked to provide information about their livestock inventories, counts of births, and production and prices received for milk, wool and mohair. NASS will mail the questionnaires to all selected producers in late December. To ensure all survey participants have an opportunity to respond, NASS interviewers will contact producers who do not respond by mail or online to conduct telephone interviews. NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. Survey results will be published in the January Cattle report, the January Milk Production report, and the January Sheep and Goats report. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/. Daily American