USDA to Conduct 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties

Jennifer Zurko

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties this winter to provide a comprehensive picture of the U.S. horticulture industry. Survey codes were mailed in December to more than 40,000 horticulture producers to respond online. Collected just once every five years, the Census of Horticultural Specialties is the only source of detailed production and sales data for U.S. floriculture, nursery and specialty crop industries, including greenhouse food crops.

“Horticulture is a very important part of U.S. agriculture and our economy,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer in a statement. “Responding to this census is the best way for growers to help associations, businesses and policymakers advocate for their industry, and influence program decisions and technology development over the next five years.”

The 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties results will expand the 2017 Census of Agriculture data with information on horticultural crop production, value of products, square footage used for growing crops, production expenses and more.

Producers who receive the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties are required to respond by federal law, as it’s part of the Census of Agriculture program. The same federal law that requires producers to respond also requires NASS to keep all individual information confidential.

Growers are asked to use their unique survey code to complete the horticulture census online via NASS’ secure website. The online questionnaire is user-friendly, accessible on most electronic devices and saves producers time by calculating totals and automatically skipping questions that don’t apply to their operations.

The deadline for response is February 5, 2020. Results will be available December 2020. For more information, visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/hort. GT