News Release - Sample

NEWS RELEASE

United States Department of Agriculture

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE

[FIELD OFFICE NAME] FIELD OFFICE

[ADDRESS]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: [Firstname] [Lastname]
	(XXX) XXX-XXXX

USDA to gather data about farm labor

[CITY, STATE] – [Month ##], [Year] – USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct its biannual Agricultural Labor Survey in October/this month. More than (sample size) (State) farmers and ranchers will be asked to participate in the survey online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail. The survey is an opportunity for producers to provide accurate information about hired farm labor, including total number of hired farm workers, total hours worked, and total wages paid for the weeks of July 9-15 and Oct. 8-14, 2023.

Survey recipients who do not respond by Oct. 18 may be contacted by NASS to arrange an interview or sent a reminder email. NASS will publish the data Nov. 22 in the Farm Labor report available at nass.usda.gov/publications.

“We ask about two separate time periods each time we collect these data in order to publish biannual data and capture seasonal variation,” said (First Name Last Name), [director of the NASS (Region) Field Office]/[NASS’s [State] state statistician]. “This method reduces the number of times we survey farms, while ensuring useful data are available.”

USDA and the U.S. Department of Labor use the survey data to estimate the demand for and availability of seasonal agricultural workers, establish minimum wage rates for agricultural workers, and administer farm labor recruitment and placement service programs.

“When hiring workers and estimating expenses, timely and accurate agricultural labor data are vital,” said (Director’s Last Name). “By participating in NASS’s Agricultural Labor Survey, farmers and ranchers help ensure accurate information for farm programs.”

For more information about the Farm Labor survey program, visit nass.usda.gov/go/labor, or call the NASS (State) Field Office at (Toll-free Number).

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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.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.