LIHU‘E — It’s not just insomniacs who count sheep, the federal government does it too. But rather than just counting sheep, the United States Department of Agriculture counts all livestock and food crops — and it doesn’t do it to
LIHU‘E — It’s not just insomniacs who count sheep, the federal government does it too. But rather than just counting sheep, the United States Department of Agriculture counts all livestock and food crops — and it doesn’t do it to fall asleep, but to manage a web of farming programs and subsidies available to farmers.
The USDA is preparing to mail in late December the 2012 Census of Agriculture to millions of farmers in the U.S., including 7,500 farmers in the state of Hawai‘i, with about 10 percent of those on Kaua‘i. But to make sure farmers and ranchers are counted, they must make to sign up beforehand to be included in the mail list for the ag census.
“Census of agriculture data provides unbiased and official numbers to formulate how the farm bill is composed,” said Mark Hudson, Hawai‘i field office director for USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. “This gives lawmakers metrics to determine farm programs, including increasing minority and women farmer outreach efforts.”
USDA officials are now reminding farmers that June 30 is the deadline to sign up for the census.
“Local and national leaders use the census to make decisions that directly impact your business, your community and your industry,” USDA officials said in press release June 7. “Whether you’re farming 4,000 acres or just four, it’s important. Every voice counts.”
According to USDA, “the census definition of a farm is any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year.”
Of the 748 farms and ranches on Kaua‘i, 515, or 69 percent, have value of sales under $10,000, according to Hudson.
The U.S. has been counting its farming inventory for more than 160 years. The first ag census in the U.S. was taken in 1840, as part of the sixth decennial population census conducted the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census. In 1925, the government began taking an ag census every five years.
After many changes in dates and policies, the responsibility for the ag census was transferred in 1997 to USDA, NASS. The 2012 Census of Agriculture is the 28th federal census of agriculture and fourth conducted by NASS.
“Small or large, your agricultural operation is important to gain a complete measure of Hawai‘i agriculture,” said Hudson, adding that ag operations include retirement and/or lifestyle farms and ranches that grow a small amount of plants or crops or keep only a few animals, up to the largest of operations.
“Landowners that only have income from government programs are also counted as farms,” he said. “Being the most isolated population center on the planet a complete and accurate account of what is produced is very important to everyone.”
Hudson said justification for research and marketing grants is based on the ag census data along with USDA’s annual agricultural estimates.
“Sometimes these benefits are not directly noticed by the agricultural producers, but there are many secondary benefits to make their operation more economically viable,” Hudson said.
Farms up, farm
lands down
Data from the USDA shows that in 2002, there were 5,398 farms statewide, including 565 on Kaua‘i. Five years later, the 2007 ag census showed 7,521 farms in the state of Hawai‘i, a 39 percent increase, and 748 farms on Kaua‘i, a 32 percent increase.
The market value of crops and livestock sold on Kaua‘i also increased between 2002 and 2007; it went from 41.85 million to $45.15 million, or 8 percent.
Despite the $3.3 million increase in revenues, the average market value of products sold per farm on Kaua‘i took a hit. It went from $74,080 in 2002 to $60,362 in 2007; a 19 percent decrease.
Statewide, the losses were steeper. The market value of products sold in 2002 was $533.42 million statewide, and five years later that number went down to $513.62 million. The average market value of products sold per farm statewide decreased 31 percent in those five years — it went from $98.819 in 2002 to $68.292 in 2007.
Despite the increase in the number of farms, acres of farm lands are disappearing and farms are shrinking.
In five years, Kaua‘i lost almost 300 acres of farm lands — there were 151,828 acres of farm lands in 2002 and 151,534 acres in 2007. The average size of farms on Kaua‘i decreased by 25 percent in that five-year period. In 2002, the average farm on the island was 269 acres. Five years later that number went down to 203 acres.
Statewide, the loss of farm lands was worse than on Kaua‘i. The state lost almost 180,000 acres of ag lands in those five years. In the 2002 ag census, there were 1.3 million acres of farm lands statewide, and in 2007 there were 1.12 million acres of farm lands, representing a loss of 14 percent. The 2010 State Agriculture Overview shows a further loss of 110,000 acres of farm lands statewide.
The average size of farms shrunk 38 percent statewide, from 241 acres in 2002 to 149 acres in 2007. In the 2010 state overview, the average size of a farm lost another acre.
Revenues and government help
Government help to Kaua‘i farmers in 2002 totaled $165,000. In 2007, government payments totaled $164,000. However, the average of government payments received per farm increased 26 percent between 2002 and 2007, from $7,461 to $5,899. If less payments were available, but individual farmers received more, it could be that less farmers shared those payments.
Government payments to farmers statewide in 2002 reached $886,000, and increased 168 percent to $2.37 million in 2007. The statewide average per farm receiving payments also increased — from $7,841 in 2002 to $10,908 in 2007.
On Kaua‘i, crop sales in 2007 represented 90 percent, or $40.77 million, of the market value of products sold; and livestock sales represented only 10 percent, or $4.38 million, of the market value of products sold. However, pasture lands represented 60.64 percent of farm lands, and crops represented 14.74 percent of those lands. An additional 24.62 percent of farm lands were used for other purposes.
Statewide, crop sales in 2007 represented 84 percent, or $429.91 million, of the market value of products sold; and livestock sales represented 16 percent, or $83.71 million, of the market value of products sold. Pasture lands in 2007 also took a large chunk of farm lands statewide; about 65.84 percent. Statewide, crop lands took 15.84 percent of farm lands, woodlands took 7.05 percent and other uses took 11.27 percent.
In the 2007 ag census, Kaua‘i was ranked the nation’s top producer of taro. According to USDA, taro is only produced in all four counties of Hawai‘i, and in one county on the Mainland.
In the 2007 ag census, Kaua‘i was the state’s top producer of corn for grain, and ranked 1746 among 2,634 counties in the nation producing corn for grain. In 2007, Kaua‘i was also the state’s top producer of sheep and lambs, and grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas (nationwide data was unavailable for these categories), according to USDA.
Out of the 748 farms on Kaua‘i in 2007, 169 principal operators were women. The average age of the principal operator —both genders — in a farm on Kaua‘i was 59.4 years old.
Hudson said some might be concerned information may be shared with others, but he assured everyone that all data is combined in aggregate totals so individual farm and ranch information cannot be detected.
“This data is collected and kept confidential under Title 7 Chapter 55 section 2204g and 2276 of the US code and is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act,” he said. “Data is collected and compiled for statistical purposes only to set and publish the most possible accurate numbers.”
Visit www.agcensus.usda.gov add your name to the ag census list or for more information.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
