We’ve been waiting a long time for the data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture to be released, and because of the extended government shutdown earlier this year, we’re stuck waiting a little bit more — until April 11, to be exact.
The USDA originally announced that Feb. 21 (today) would be the day that the census is released, in conjunction with the 2019 Agricultural Outlook Forum, and that it would continue on a staggered schedule through the spring. But the shutdown delayed several projects, and the census was not immune.
The extra time will help the USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service with its continued analysis and understanding of the data. The agency has said that it has less to work with this time around compared wtih 2012. The 2017 census saw a 71.5 percent response rate, below the 74.5 percent response rate of the previous cycle.
