SAF Encourages Growers to Respond to USDA Survey
Growers across the country are receiving their annual survey on commercial floriculture production from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Because policy makers use the information from the survey to allocate necessary resources to the industry and assess the industry’s economic contribution to U.S. agriculture, the Society of American Florists (SAF) is asking all of its grower members to respond.
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“Providing the government with accurate information helps ensure that fair, real-world policies are put into place,” says Martin Meskers of Oregon Flowers Inc., Aurora, Ore. “It only takes a few minutes to fill out this survey, but the information you provide could have a long-lasting impact on the floral industry.”
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Each year, the survey results help document the floriculture industry’s growth. The survey now includes more individual products and benchmarking data to compare with growers’ operations. The survey provides reliable, accurate data on key items such as area of production, product sold, value of sales and labor.
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SAF, along with eight other floriculture organizations, has signed on as a supporter of this important effort. NASS has cooperated fully with these organizations to see that the data collected meets the needs of the industry.
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Complete, accurate and timely reporting by growers will ensure that reliable, objective data on current commercial floriculture production is available to the public and industry. Accurate industry statistics are crucial to obtaining research funding and government support on various issues.
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Results of the survey will be available online on April 27.
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Individual operation information is completely confidential by law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all survey responses and publishes state and U.S. data only, ensuring that no individual operation or grower will be identified. For more information, e-mail NASS@nass.usda.gov or call (800) 727-9540.
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