This winter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be sending out surveys to a number of different farm and ranch producers for feedback on production that will help guide the department.


Sheep & Goats

The first group to receive surveys will be sheep and goat ranchers, who will measure sheep and goat inventories and wool and mohair production.

“Interest in sheep and goat data continues to grow with increased diversification in agriculture and consumer demands,” said William Meyer, Director, Mountain Regional Field Office. “The Sheep and Goat Survey gives producers the opportunity to report the latest information on conditions and trends in the industry.”

Operators surveyed will be asked to provide information about their sheep and goat inventories, counts of lambs and kids born during 2021, and production and prices received for wool and mohair. NASS will contact about 3,400 operations in the Mountain Region states of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming to request their responses to the survey.


Cattle

In January, USDA will survey more than 40,000 cattle operations nationwide to provide an up-to-date measure of U.S. cattle inventories.

“This information helps producers make timely, informed business decisions such as planning for herd expansion or reduction. It also helps packers and government leaders evaluate expected slaughter volume for future months and determine potential supplies for export,” Meyer said. “Obtaining the current count of cattle will serve as an important decision-making tool for the entire agricultural industry.”

During the first two weeks of January, producers will have the opportunity to report their beef and dairy cattle inventories, calf crop, death loss, and cattle on feed operations. To make it as easy as possible for producers to participate in the survey, NASS offers the options of responding via the internet, telephone or, mail.

NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state- and national-level data in aggregate, ensuring that no individual producer or operation can be identified. The January Cattle report will be released on January 31, 2022.


Dairy

January is also the first month where more than 500 dairy farmers in the Intermountain West will also receive surveys for the January 2022 Milk Production Survey.

“The dairy industry is an important component of the Mountain Region’s agricultural economy and it is crucial for all involved to have access to accurate data.” Meyer said.

NASS conducts the Milk Production survey every January, April, July, and October. The survey asks producers to provide the number of milk cows in their herd, cows milked, and total milk production for the first day of the month. In addition to Milk, the January survey will also ask producers to provide data on hay purchased to feed the dairy herd and herd replacement prices. By participating in the survey, milk producers can ensure that NASS provides timely, accurate, and useful data that all sectors of the U.S. milk industry can use to make sound business decisions. 

This and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.