Agroforestry News Release Template

	NEWS RELEASE
	NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE
	United States Department of Agriculture • Washington, DC 20250
	Ag Statistics Hotline: (800) 727-9540 • www.nass.usda.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE		Contact:	Jodi Letterman (916) 738-6609
			[email protected]

USDA’s National Agroforestry Survey is underway

WASHINGTON, Month X, 20XX – This year the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is conducting the first-ever National Agroforestry Survey. The survey gathers information on the five agroforestry practices used by farmers and ranchers for conservation and production benefits including windbreaks, silvopasture, riparian forest buffers, alley cropping, as well as forest farming & multi-story cropping.

“For the first time ever, ag producers have the opportunity to share the dynamic ways they manage valuable agroforestry resources,” said NASS Agriculture Statistics Board Chair Joe Parsons. “The results of this survey will be a change-maker, helping policymakers and farm groups more fully understand and support this aspect of agriculture in the 21^st century.”

NASS will conduct the survey starting in January when a sample of ag producers will receive the questionnaire in the mail. Responses are due in February. The information provided by farmers is protected by federal law (Title III, Public Law 115-435), which keeps the respondent’s identity, operation, and answers confidential.

This project is conducted as a cooperative effort with the USDA National Agroforestry Center, which is a partnership between USDA’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service. The National Agroforestry Center will release the summarized data in publications, studies, highlights, and press releases. Highlights will give an overview of how agroforestry practices are used in regions across the United States.

For more information, visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/agroforestry. For assistance with the survey, please call 888-424-7828.

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NASS is the federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. agriculture and is committed to providing timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U.S. agriculture.

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