Non-substantive Change Request

September 2018

Non-substantive Change Request

(0535-0140) List Frame – National Agricultural Classification Survey

NASS is currently approved to conduct list building efforts under the List Sampling Frame Survey (0535-0140). Under this approval NASS contacts potential new farm operators to collect data that will help determine if these individuals qualify to be labeled as a farm or ranch. NASS has been investigating the possible use of web-scraping as a tool to identify new potential farm or ranch operators.

NASS will be testing this new source of potential farm operators with a two phased survey. Phase 1 will involve the use of a short screening form instead of the currently approved National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS) questionnaire. The Agricultural Activity Service (AAS) questionnaire (screening form) will be sent to individuals who were identified through the web scraping and who are not currently on the NASS List Frame or Area Frame. The initial testing will be conducted in four States (Nebraska, Kansas, New York and Pennsylvania). The questionnaire consists of YES – NO questions to use as indicators. The operators that qualify as potential farms or ranches will be contacted in 2019 with a more detailed questionnaire (Phase 2) to collect crop and livestock data, so that they can be added to the NASS List Frame.

Phase 2 will be included in the List Frame docket (0535-0140) which will be renewed in early 2019.

The AAS survey will use the remaining burden and responses that are approved in the current docket. This approach is being used to minimize respondent burden on this group of individuals who may or may not be farm operators.