The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced in a release dated July 1 the start of a sweeping survey to gather in-depth, real-time information on the conservation practices farmers use. Over the course of this harvest season into next year, nearly 12,000 farmers and farm managers nationwide will be asked to share their experience through the department’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP).
The survey will be conducted in the field by trained personnel working with the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS is tasked with publishing the survey’s findings and will report on trends in cropland conservation – and associated outcomes – from 2024 through 2026.
The data is published only in aggregate form, ensuring that no individual respondent or operation can be identified; field reps are sworn to observe federal law regarding Personal Identifying Information (PII). The data will be published next year as a report on the CEAP Cropland Assessments website: nrcs.usda.gov/ceap/croplands.
“The survey gives farmers the power to provide a more complete and accurate picture of the conservation practices on their lands and in their operations,” said Joe Parsons, acting NASS administrator. “I urge farmers to participate if contacted, because their responses can help leaders focus on the conservation practices that most benefit both the farmer and the natural resources on which we all rely.”
The survey focuses on cropland management, to measure the environmental outcomes resulting from conservation practices on agricultural lands. Findings are used to guide conservation program development and support agricultural producers, conservationists and their partners.
Specifically, CEAP results can help to:
Evaluate the resources farmers may need in the future to further protect soil, water and habitat;
Shed light on techniques farmers use to conserve healthy environments;
Improve and strengthen technical and financial programs that help landowners plan and install conservation practices on agricultural land;
Support the conservation programs that can help producers’ profits while also protecting natural resources.
The CEAP project will occur in two phases. For the next two months, local NASS “enumerators” will canvass farmers and owners of agricultural land to screen for eligibility to participate in Phase 2, the actual survey, which will commence in November.
Typical questions will cover farm production practices; chemical, fertilizer and manure applications; tillage; irrigation use; and installed conservation practices.
“The U.S. has more than 300 million acres of cultivated cropland that are used by farmers and other land managers to grow diverse crops for food, fuel, and livestock feed for our national and beyond,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “CEAP delivers critically important data that we use to guide our strategic, equitable, and voluntary conservation on cropland acres nationwide. This leads to healthier ecosystems, improved conservation, and stronger management of agricultural landscapes.”
For more information, visit nass.usda.gov.go.ceap.
