230. King Whetstone on the Importance of the Agricultural Census

How much do you know about the Census of Agriculture? On this episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, we’re hosting King Whetstone who is the Regional Director of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Northeastern Region. In his role, he is committed to providing timely, accurate, and useful statistics that will help those working in U.S. agriculture.  King will share about the Census of Agriculture which occurs every five years. The census provides the only source of consistent, comparable, and detailed agricultural data for every county in America. Prior to becoming the Regional Director, he served as the Director for the New York Field Office and the Deputy Director in the Hawaii Field Office.  Tune in to hear all about the importance of the Census of Agriculture and how you can contribute.  In this episode, you’ll hear: About what the census of agriculture is 1:52 Who primarily uses the kind of confidential data that’s produced by the USDA 3:39 The average age of farmers 5:07 Why some people get multiple surveys 5:35 About how a farmer would take a USDA farmer survey if they’ve ever received one 8:17 What actions are needed if you aren’t actively farming your land, but you have CRP land 12:44 About how the data is processed 17:16 Websites mentioned in the episode:  USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Quick Stats database About the Guest: King Whetstone is the Director for USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Northeastern Region.  He received his B.S. from Prairie View A&M University in Agricultural Economics in 1998.  Prior to becoming the Regional Director, he served as the Director for the New York Field Office and the Deputy Director in the Hawaii Field Office.   In addition to leading the Northeastern Region, Mr. Whetstone is a regular contributor to Lancaster Farm News and officiates Division I college basketball.  He currently resides in Mechanicsburg, PA with his wife April and daughter Shalyn.     Resources: Twitter: https://twitter.com/usda_nass   ----- This podcast is sponsored by Small Farm University, THE go-to resource for gardeners, homesteaders, and farmers around the world. Small Farm University delivers classes online and on demand, with training on how to grow crops AND how to grow a profitable farm business that serves you, your family, and your community well.  Applying what you learn in SFU could save you countless hours and thousands of dollars. And, it can save you the agony of costly mistakes some make, just because they “don’t know what they don’t know.” Delivered by real farmers with hands-on experience and expertise, it is unique in its approach, using the RIPEN method for growing and building a farm or farm business. To learn more, visit GrowingFarmers today!