USDA to Measure Financial Well-Being of Iowa Farmers

Beginning in late December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend several months gathering information about farm economics and production practices from farmers and ranchers across Iowa, as the agency conducts the third and final phase of the 2022 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

“ARMS is the only survey that measures the current financial well-being of Iowa producers and their households as a whole,” said Greg Thessen, director of the NASS Upper Midwest Regional Field Office. “The results of this survey will help inform decisions on local and federal policies and programs that affect Iowa farms and farm families.”

In an effort to obtain the most accurate data, NASS will reach out to more than 35,000 producers nationwide, including 1,600 in Iowa, between January and April. The survey asks producers to provide in-depth information about their operating revenues, production costs, and household characteristics. The 2022 ARMS survey includes a version of the questionnaire focused on farm costs of production and expenditures for wheat producers. The survey also includes questions to help measure any impacts of COVID on farms, farm and household finances, and off-farm employment.

“In February, our interviewers will begin reaching out to those farmers who have not yet responded,” said Thessen, “We appreciate their time and are here to help them with the questionnaire so that their information will continue supporting sound agricultural decisionmaking. Completing this questionnaire fulfills your 2022 Census of Agriculture requirement.”

Information provided to NASS is kept confidential, as required by federal law. The agency only publishes data in aggregate form, ensuring that no individual respondent or operation can be identified.

The expense data gathered in ARMS will be published in the annual Farm Production Expenditures report on July 21. That report and others are available at https://nass.usda.gov/Publications. More reports based on ARMS data and more information about ARMS are available at https://ers.usda.gov/arms.