Nursery Production Survey and Nursery and Floriculture Chemical Use Survey

	Nursery and Floriculture Statistical Program
United States Department of Agriculture		National Agricultural Statistics Service
		February 2007

The Nursery and Floriculture Statistical Program consists of three separate surveys conducted by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Data are collected on nursery and Christmas tree production, commercial floriculture production, and nursery and floriculture chemical use and pest management practices.

HOW ARE THE DATA COLLECTED?

• The Commercial Floriculture Production Survey is conducted annually in 15 states, covering commercial floriculture operations that produce and sell at least $10,000 of floriculture products. Data are collected by mail, phone and personal interview.

• The Nursery and Christmas Tree Production Survey is conducted every 3 years in 17 states. Data on production and labor are collected from nearly 8,000 operations with annual sales of $10,000 or more. Data are collected by mail, phone and personal interview.

• The Nursery and Floriculture Chemical Use Survey is conducted every 3 years in 6 states that account for 70 percent of total nursery sales and 50 percent of total floriculture sales in the United States. More than 4,000 operations with gross sales in excess of $10,000 will be selected for this survey. Data are collected by personal interview.

HOW IS THE INFORMATION USED?

Once results of the surveys are compiled and analyzed, NASS will publish the information in three reports to be released in 2007: Floriculture Crops Summary in July; Nursery Crops Summary in September; and Nursery and Floriculture Chemical Use Summary in December. These reports are critical decision-making and educational tools for growers, consumers, international buyers and USDA and regulatory agencies. Data from these surveys will:

• Identify state and national trends in areas such as new product development and changing production practices so that growers can plan the future of their businesses.

• Help growers and chemical manufacturers identify market trends, future needs and product alternatives.

• Document the value of sales of floriculture crops – a significant contributor to farm income and the gross domestic product.

• Help support industry claims in cases involving unfair trade practices and in trade negotiations.

• Provide accurate statistics that are crucial to obtaining research funding and government support for the nursery and floriculture industry.

• Assist industry organizations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in analyzing economic impacts and improving product labeling.

• Provide statistics used by EPA to conduct risk analysis regarding environmental impact and worker exposure to chemicals.

The information provided by survey respondents is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

All reports are available through the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540.