DES MOINES – How many acres of corn and soybeans have farmers planted this season? Are more grain stocks continuing to be stored on-farm versus off the farm?

Have producers continued to reduce cattle and hog numbers?

The June Agricultural Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, will help answer these and other critical questions about the production and supply of major commodities for 2009.

Between May 29 and June 15, NASS representatives will visit selected areas of land in Iowa and conduct personal interviews with the operators of any farm or ranch on that land.

Other producers will be contacted by mail or telephone to report on crop acreage, grain stocks and livestock inventories.

“With corn planting winding down and soybean planting well underway, now is the time to find out what is actually going into the ground,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. “This information will benefit farmers and the entire agricultural industry by providing timely and accurate data so informed business decisions can be made.

“The information provided by NASS is not only used to make marketing decisions, but is used extensively to address agricultural related issues at the state and national level that may impact producers.”

It is critical that the 5,000 selected operators participate in this survey to ensure the results are as accurate as possible, Northey added

“The information NASS provides is only as good as the source it comes from,” said Greg Thessen, director of the NASS Iowa field office. “That’s why we are counting on the most reliable, frontline source of data for our surveys – the producers themselves.”

As is the case with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is protected by law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses, ensuring that no individual producer or operation can be identified.

All reports are available on the NASS Web site at www.nass.usda.gov. Upcoming NASS reports and their release dates include hogs and pigs on June 26, acreage and grain stocks on June 30, and cattle and calves on July 24.