Non-substantive Change Request and Listing of Itemized Changes

Non-substantive Change Request

0535-0218 – Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS)

Several minor changes need to be made to the ARMS I (screening) and the ARMS III (economic) questionnaires for 2016 reference year. These changes are non-substantive and are merely for adding clarity to the data series. The ARMS questionnaires are normally adjusted each year to accommodate changes within the farming industry. In the last few years organic production, and genetically modified organisms/genetically engineered (GMO/GE) crops have become much more common in the farming industry. Some additional questions were added to address these relatively new trends.

In Section 4 of the ARMS I questionnaire, one additional question was added to identify operations that produce organic milk in 2016.

In the ARMS III questionnaires several changes that were made to the three versions:

• Cost and Returns Report (CRR)

• Corn Costs and Returns Report

• Dairy Costs and Returns Report

The following three pages itemize the changes made to the three questionnaires.

Attached to this submission are the three revised questionnaires.

July 2016

Changes to CRR from OMB Approved Version

Section A

• Q7 and 7a removed

• Q13-16 removed

Section B

• Q3 – Wording changed to refer to GMO/GE crops for consistency in NASS surveys

• Q4 – Risk Management added, similar to questions on P10 of 2014 TOTAL questionnaire

• Q5 – Was Q4 on approved version

• Q6 – Was Q5 on approved version, last 2 rows added

• New Q7-11 added

• Q12-14 were Q6-8 on approved version

Section C

• New Q2e(i) added for organic milk

Section H

• Q2a-b removed, rest of Q2 renumbered accordingly

• Q2j and Q2k combined into Q2c(iii)

• Q2l (now Q2c(iv)) removed reference to Dairy Product Donation Program (DPDP)

• Q6e-f reworded and now Q3e-e(i)

• Q6j(i)-(iv) removed

Section I

• Table placed above Q23, replaces long parenthetical (this was done on 2015 final)

• Q32 about FSA’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy is new

Section K

• Q3 column 9 replaced with new question about loan balance on Jan 1 (now column 2)

Section L

• Q1 was moved from Section M Q9, renumbered section accordingly

• New Q11a(i), b(i), c(i) added (this was done on 2015 final)

• Old Q11a-b replaced with New Q12a-b

• Old Q15-16 related to non-food direct sales removed

Section M

• Q7-8 removed

• Q9 moved to beginning of Section L

Changes to Corn Costs and Returns from OMB Approved Version

Section C

• New Q2e(i) added for organic milk

Section H

• Q2a-b removed, rest of Q2 renumbered accordingly

• Q2j and Q2k combined into Q2c(iii)

• Q2l (now Q2c(iv)) removed reference to Dairy Product Donation Program (DPDP)

• Q3e-f reworded, now Q3e-e(i)

Section I

• Table placed above Q23, replaces long parenthetical

• Q32 about FSA’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy is new

Section K

• Q3 column 9 replaced with new question about loan balance on Jan 1 (now column 2)

Section L

• Q1 was moved from Section M Q4, renumbered section accordingly

Section M

• Q1-3 replaced by Q1-6

• Old Q4 moved to beginning of Section L

Section O

• Q3 is new, old Q3 is now Q7

• Q4 has been reworded/reformatted to match the Organic Survey question

• Q5-6 are new

Section P

This was the old Section Q on the OMB approved version, old Section P has been removed completely

Changes to Dairy Costs and Returns from OMB Approved Version

Section C

• New Q2e(i) added for organic milk

Section H

• Q2a-c removed, rest of Q2 renumbered accordingly

• Q2k and Q2k combined into Q2c(iii)

• Q2m (now Q2c(iv)) removed reference to Dairy Product Donation Program (DPDP)

• Q3e-f reworded, now Q3e-e(i)

Section I

• Table placed above Q23, replaces long parenthetical

• Q32 about FSA’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy is new

Section K

• Q3 column 9 replaced with new question about loan balance on Jan 1 (now column 2)

Section L

• Q1 was moved from Section M Q4, renumbered section accordingly

Section M

• Q1-3 replaced by Q1-6

• Old Q4 moved to beginning of Section L

Section O

• Q5 is old Q8

• Q6 added, was on 2010 Dairy version P27-28

• Q7-9 are old Q5-7

• Q10 added, was on 2010 Dairy version P27-28

Section R

• Q2a-c and Q3 added, were on 2010 Dairy version P43

• Q3 was moved old Q2 in Section S

Section S

• Q2-5 added, were on 2010 Dairy version P35

• Old Q2 moved to Section R

Section U

• Q5 and 5a were old Q4b-c